Microscopic study of crystal defects enriches our knowledge of materials chemistry

Electron microscopic study of crystal defects enables us not only to reveal various structural imperfections, but also to discover their formation mechanisms and to understand their effects on the properties of solid materials. This short article highlights some recent examples of defect investigation mainly performed at University of St Andrews, including defective pores in zeolite beta, defects in single-crystal-like icositetrahedra of zeolite analcime, point defects in perovskite-type materials and in a new C60 phase, and defects in carbon--MnO2 composites.