Individual atoms can be directly imaged using advanced microscopy techniques like AFM and STM.
Multiple high-resolution microscopy studies confirm that advanced techniques like atomic force microscopy (AFM) and scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) routinely resolve individual atoms and atomic-scale defects.
The claim states that individual atoms can be directly imaged using advanced microscopy techniques like AFM and STM. Papers [0], [2], [3], [5], [6], [8], and [10] all explicitly discuss or utilize AFM and/or STM to achieve single-atom or sub-molecular resolution imaging, directly supporting the assertion. There are no papers refuting the claim.
Chahib O, Verdini A, Li Z, Kara A, Del Puppo S, Peressi M, Meyer E, Pawlak R. Revealing the Atomic Structure of Blue Phosphorus Phases on Au(111) with Noncontact Atomic Force Microscopy.. 2026. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsnano.6c03130
Noncontact atomic force microscopy is used to resolve blue phosphorus atomic structures and interfaces at the single-atom scale.
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Dunn EJ, Robson AJ, Young RJ, Jarvis SP. Single atom chemical identification of TMD defects in ambient conditions.. 2026. https://doi.org/10.1088/1361-6528/ae5194
Conductive atomic force microscopy achieves single-atom resolution imaging of atomic defects in transition metal dichalcogenides under ambient conditions.
Das A, Hung TC, Rank A, Giselbrecht F, Schön J, Das M, Doltsinis N, Amirjalayer S, Repp J, Glorius F. A Free N-Heterocyclic Carbene and Its Metal Complex.. 2026. https://doi.org/10.1002/anie.202524266
Scanning tunneling microscopy and atomic force microscopy resolve the molecular structure and chemical interactions of a free N-heterocyclic carbene down to the single-atom level.
Fan D, Zhang Y, Tang Z, Chelikowsky JR, Yao N. Decoding atomic landscapes: Integrating electronic structure theory and high-resolution atomic force microscopy.. 2026. https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0300899
High-resolution atomic force microscopy enables direct visualization of chemical bonds, atomic structures, and individual heteroatoms.
Easton CA, Stratton SM, Rajabi N, Amarathunga N, Montemore MM, Sykes ECH. Low Temperature Oxygen Activation on the NiAg(100) Single-Atom Alloy Surface.. 2026. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jpcc.5c08033
Scanning tunneling microscopy successfully images single-atom alloy surfaces and individual catalytic atom sites.
Wang J, Wu D, Sun M, Lu Q. Highly stable liquid-phase scanning tunneling microscope with dual modes for imaging biomolecules.. 2026. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.micron.2026.104082
Scanning tunneling microscopy demonstrates high precision and atomic-level imaging capabilities under liquid conditions.
Chen Y, Liao X, Nie JH, Zhang L, Li P, Zhou J, Liao W, Zhang C, Liu CF, Zhang W, Fu YS. A Joule-Thomson low-temperature scanning tunneling microscope with vector magnet and rotatable scanning head.. 2026. https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0336598
Low-temperature scanning tunneling microscopy achieves stable atomic-resolution imaging alongside spectroscopy measurements.
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