Automated Diffraction Tomography Combined With Electron Precession: A New Tool for Ab Initio Nanostructure Analysis

Three-dimensional electron diffraction data was collected with our recently developed module for automated diffraction tomography and used to solve inorganic as well as organic crystal structures ab initio. The diffraction data, which covers nearly the fall relevant reciprocal space, was collected in the standard nano electron diffraction mode as well as in combination with the precession technique and was subsequently processed with a newly developed automated diffraction analysis and processing software package. Non-precessed data turned out to be sufficient for ab initio structure solution by direct methods for simple crystal structures only, while precessed data allowed structure solution and refinement in all of the studied cases. © 2009 Materials Research Society.