Fig. 2: Atomic-resolution STEM and EDX characterization.
From: Stoichiometry-engineered phase transition in a two-dimensional binary compound
a Low-magnification STEM image of PdTe nucleation, exhibiting elliptical features. b EDX line scan at the PdTe and Pd9Te4 interface. The molar ratio of Pd to Te changes from ~1:1 to 7:3. Source data are provided as a Source Data file. c Atomic-resolution STEM image at the PdTe and Pd9Te4 interface, the bright regions correspond to heavy atomic columns (Pd/Te clusters). The two phases seamlessly merge together without a distinct transition region. The long-chain direction of Pd9Te4 aligns with the short-axis direction of PdTe nucleation. d–e EDX scan (Pd: red; Te: green) at the PdTe and Pd9Te4 phase interface where color intensity scales with concentration, which shows a uniform color distribution on both sides of the interface but with significant intensity differences. f–m Atomic-resolution STEM images (experiment) of different nucleation sites and the corresponding simulation results confirm that the nucleation sites correspond to Pd10Te3, Pd9Te4, PdTe, and PdTe2.
