Quantum mechanical calculations based on density functional theory using high-performance computers have made enormous strides in describing the atomic-scale properties of complex materials and nanostructures. In parallel, aberration-corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy has reached extraordinary levels of spatial and energy resolution, in both imaging and electron-energy-loss spectroscopy. For two-dimensional materials, scanning tunneling microscopy is equally powerful, as the “surface” is the material. Combining theory and microscopy provides an unparalleled probe to unravel the atomic-scale processes that control vital properties for electronic, optoelectronic, and energy-related applications, and even explore the fabrication of new materials and nanostructures. This talk is a journey through the wide world of complex nanostructures that provides a first-hand experience of the nanoscale using select examples from bulk materials, two-dimensional materials, nanoparticles, and nanowires.
This work was supported in part by U. S. Department of Energy grant DE-FG02-09ER46554 and by the McMinn Endowment at Vanderbilt University.
