近日，美国伊利诺伊州厄巴纳-香槟分校Zuo, Jian-Min团队研究了非晶纳米粒子原子分辨率层析成像重建的极限。这一研究成果于2026年1月28日发表在《自然》杂志上。

周期性晶体的三维原子结构测定已是常规分析技术，然而将此类分析方法拓展至非晶材料领域，尽管具有重要科学与技术意义，仍面临巨大挑战。在此背景下，近期一篇关于利用原子分辨率电子断层扫描（AET）测定非晶固体三维结构的报告尤为引人注目。若该方法得以验证，此类分析技术将具有突破性意义。

研究组针对该问题，深入探究原子分辨率电子断层扫描能否以及何时可识别非晶纳米粒子中全部或大多数原子。通过模拟原子分辨率电子断层扫描，研究组揭示了该方法从含噪电子图像中获取结构信息与化学信息的能力局限。对于单原子纳米粒子，在严格的电子通量、采样与投影条件下，其原子位置测定精度可达数十皮米量级；而对于多元素非晶纳米粒子，化学识别分辨率则受噪声与实验采样制约。

重元素原子较轻元素更易解析，当原子峰强度与背景强度重叠时，化学分析的不确定性显著增加。基于这些发现，研究组明确了适用于原子分辨率电子断层扫描的纳米粒子尺寸范围、成分要求、电子通量标准及图像采样条件。研究结果为未来实验设计提供了基准参照，并论证了利用原子分辨率电子断层扫描验证非晶结构测定的可行路径。

附：英文原文

Title: Limit of atomic-resolution-tomography reconstruction of amorphous nanoparticles

Author: Busch, Robert, Rez, Peter, Treacy, Michael M. J., Zuo, Jian-Min

Issue&Volume: 2026-01-28

Abstract: Three-dimensional atomic structure is routinely determined for periodic crystals. However, extending such analysis to amorphous materials remains a substantial challenge, despite the scientific and technological importance1,2. In this context, a recent report describing the three-dimensional structure determination of an amorphous solid using atomic-resolution electron tomography (AET) is truly remarkable3. If validated, such an analysis would be groundbreaking. Here we address this issue and investigate whether and when AET can identify all or most atoms in an amorphous nanoparticle. By simulating AET, we reveal limitations on the structural and chemical information AET can determine from noisy electron images. For monoatomic nanoparticles, the structure can be determined with an atomic-position accuracy of tens of picometres under stringent fluence, sampling and projection requirements. For multi-element amorphous nanoparticles, chemical identification resolution is determined by noise and experimental sampling. Heavier atoms are more easily resolved than lighter ones, and large chemical analysis uncertainties emerge when atomic peak and background intensities overlap. Using these insights, we delineate nanoparticle size, composition, electron fluence and image sampling requirements for AET. The results serve as a benchmark for future experiment design and demonstrate a viable approach for amorphous structure determination validation using AET.

DOI: 10.1038/s41586-025-09924-w

Source: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-09924-w