Direct Atom-Resolved Imaging of Oxides and Their Grain Boundaries

Abstract
Using high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, we obtained structure images of strontium titanate (SrTiO 3 ) with a clearly resolved oxygen sublattice along different crystallographic directions in the bulklattice and for a Σ3 tilt grain boundary. Comparison with image simulations showed that the grain boundary contains oxygen vacancies. Measurements of atom displacements near the grain boundary revealed close correspondence with theoretical calculations.