Nanomaterials Up Close: Cobalt oxide superlattice

This image shows individual particles of cobalt oxide. The particles are engineered to form a superlattice or 3D mesh structure, which has a large surface area and a high chemical activity. Giorgio Divitini, based in the Department of Materials Science and Metallurgy at the University of Cambridge, works on the application of electron microscopy to nanomaterials for energy.
'Nanomaterials Up Close' is a special series linked to our 'Under the Microscope' collection of videos produced by Cambridge University that show glimpses of the natural and man-made world in stunning close-up. You can see the whole series here: bit.ly/A6bwCE
Giorgio Divitini:
"We are designing cobalt oxide assemblies at the nanoscale to improve their properties as a catalyst -- a material that speeds up a reaction. We're using the material to produce hydrogen and oxygen from water, contributing to the development of new sources of fuel and energy.
Being able to make tailored structures at the nanoscale is very important for catalysis and has important applications in everyday life, from electricity generation to sensors and manufacturing processes.
In my research I study what such structures look like, using state of the art electron microscopes that can push the limits of science, allowing individual atoms to be imaged and identified."
Credit: Thanks to Dr Caterina Ducati for her support and supervision, and to the ERC for funding under grant number 259619.
Giorgio Divitini's profile:
www-hrem.msm.cam.ac.uk/people/...
Find more Cambridge research here:
www.cam.ac.uk/research