Analysis of Extended Energy-Loss Fine Structure of Nanometerscale Clusters

Small atomic clusters are of great importance for applications such as catalysts whose activity depends on the surface of the cluster. Attempts to determine the atomic short-range order and size of clusters have been made by analyzing the extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS). However, the analysis was made on an average of many small clusters. Analysis of extended energy-loss fine structure (EXELFS) in an electron energy-loss spectrum (EELS) has developed to the point where in some cases, the quality of the results is comparable to its X-ray analogue, EXAFS. No other technique provides nanometer-scale spatial resolution of the analyzed area for determining the atomic structure. Most EXELFS analysis has been performed on the K-ionization edge of lighter elements. For heavier elements, a more complex ionization edge such as the L-edge has to be used, due to the inefficiency of collecting high quality EEL spectra at higher energy-losses (Z > 18).