| Scope |
Four-dimensional scanning transmission electron microscopy (4D STEM) has rapidly emerged as a transformative platform for quantitative materials characterization. By recording a full diffraction pattern at each probe position, 4D STEM enables spatially resolved mapping of crystal orientation and phase, elastic strain and rotation, local symmetry breaking and ordering, and mesoscale heterogeneity over large fields of view. When paired with reconstruction methods such as ptychography, 4D STEM can surpass conventional resolution limits and deliver high-fidelity phase imaging. Modern workflows also support quantitative mapping of electric and magnetic fields and statistically robust detection of point and planar defects. These strengths make 4D STEM attractive for complex materials where traditional atomic-resolution approaches struggle, and for integration with in situ and operando experiments.
This symposium is timely because 4D STEM is increasingly accessible in commercial instruments while advances in detectors, acquisition strategies, analysis software, and artificial intelligence continue at a rapid pace. The symposium will bring together experts from microscopy and materials communities to share new 4D STEM methodologies and highlight impactful applications across structural and functional materials, including metals, ceramics, semiconductors, energy materials, soft and hybrid materials, and minerals.
We welcome contributions that present:
(i) New techniques or analysis pipelines, including tutorial-style “how-to” talks;
(ii) Validation and metrology studies addressing accuracy, precision, uncertainty quantification, and standards;
(iii) Applications that reveal structure–property relationships or access previously hidden materials information.
Topics of interest include acquisition and detector innovations; orientation, phase, strain, electric and magnetic field mapping; local ordering and symmetry analysis; ptychography and phase reconstruction; defect and interface characterization; in situ and operando 4D STEM (heating, biasing, mechanical testing, electrochemistry, environmental cells, radiation, time-resolved studies); and data analytics, automation, and best practices for sharing and reproducibility. |