The localization of hydrogen atoms is an essential part of crystal structure analysis, but it is difficult because of their small scattering power. We report the direct localization of hydrogen atoms in nanocrystalline materials, achieved using the recently developed approach of dynamical refinement of precession electron diffraction tomography data. We used this method to locate hydrogen atoms in both an organic (paracetamol) and an inorganic (framework cobalt aluminophosphate) material. The results demonstrate that the technique can reliably reveal fine structural details, including the positions of hydrogen atoms in single crystals with micro- to nanosized dimensions.

CRISMAT CNRS UMR 6508 6 Bd Maréchal Juin F 14050 Caen France

Institute of Physics of the Czech Academy of Sciences Na Slovance 2 Prague Czech Republic

LCS Normandie Université ENSICAEN UNICAEN CNRS UMR 6506 6 Bd Maréchal Juin F 14050 Caen France

Comment In

Science. 2017 Jan 13;355(6321):136. doi: 10.1126/science.aal4570. PubMed

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