Low voltage electron diffractive imaging of atomic structure in single-wall carbon nanotubes

The demand for atomic-scale analysis without serious damage to the specimen has been increasing due to the spread of applications with light-element three-dimensional (3D) materials. Low voltage electron diffractive imaging has the potential possibility to clarify the atomic-scale structure of 3D materials without causing serious damage to specimens. We demonstrate low-voltage (30 kV) electron diffractive imaging of single-wall carbon nanotube at a resolution of 0.12 nm. In the reconstructed pattern, the intensity difference between single carbon atom and two overlapping atoms can be clearly distinguished. The present method can generally be applied to other materials including biologically important ones.