LAUSR

Advances in nanoscale self-assembly have enabled the formation of complex nanoscale architectures. However, the development of self-assembly strategies toward bottom-up nanofabrication is impeded by challenges in revealing these structures volumetrically at the single-component level and with elemental sensitivity. Leveraging advances in nano-focused hard x-rays, DNA-programmable nanoparticle assembly, and nanoscale inorganic templating, we demonstrate nondestructive three-dimensional imaging of complexly organized nanoparticles and multimaterial frameworks. In a three-dimensional lattice with a size of 2 micrometers, we determined the positions of about 10,000 individual nanoparticles with 7-nanometer resolution, and identified arrangements of assembly motifs and a resulting multimaterial framework with elemental sensitivity. The real-space reconstruction permits direct three-dimensional imaging of lattices, which reveals their imperfections and interfaces and also clarifies the relationship between lattices and assembly motifs. Description Imaging particles and patterns A key feature of nanoscale materials is the ability to tune their properties through small changes in particle size or chemical composition. Assembly into three-dimensional superstructures provides a platform for building complex, multifunctional materials, but it also makes it harder to understand the structure at a particle level. Michelson et al. present the nondestructive three-dimensional imaging of superstructure made of thousands of particles at 7-nanometer resolution, from which they were able to map both position and composition. The authors were also able to Hard x-rays are used to identify individual particles and defects in superstructures of nanoscale materials.