Quantitative Measurement of Atomic Coordination at the Single-Atom Limit

Quantitative Measurement of Atomic Coordination at the Single-Atom Limit | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Article Quantitative Measurement of Atomic Coordination at the Single-Atom Limit Wu Zhou, Aowen Li, Linxuan Li, Xuetao Qin, Zhihu Sun, Stephen Pennycook, and 1 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-8959783/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Review Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Determining local atomic coordination with element specificity is central to linking structure and functionality in materials, yet quantitative coordination metrics (coordination number, bond length, and disorder) are typically obtained only from ensemble-averaged techniques such as extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS). This averaging obscures the resolving of structural heterogeneity at interfaces, defects, and dopant sites 1,2. Here we show that extended energy-loss fine structure (EXELFS) in an electron microscope, physically analogous to EXAFS but driven by an electron beam, can deliver quantitative coordination analysis with atomic resolution and single-atom sensitivity. By combining low-voltage scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) with dose-fractionated acquisition and direct electron detection, we achieve quantitative coordination analysis at the atomic scale for the first time. We resolve atomic-layer-by-atomic-layer coordination and bond-length disorder across the epitaxial graphene/SiC interface, and distinguish the coordination of individual Si impurities in graphene lattice. These results establish STEM-EXELFS as an atomic-scale coordination probe, enabling direct measurements of local order in complex materials beyond ensemble averaging. Physical sciences/Materials science/Techniques and instrumentation/Characterization and analytical techniques Physical sciences/Chemistry Full Text Additional Declarations There is NO Competing Interest. Supplementary Files EXELFSsupportinginformation.docx Supplementary Materials for Quantitative Measurement of Atomic Coordination at the Single-Atom Limit Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Review Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-8959783","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":611689763,"identity":"c94ad2b7-7d4d-40f1-8762-8ba8bf793038","order_by":0,"name":"Wu 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