Chiral crystals can be exploited for applications in enantioselective separation and catalysis. However, the study of chirality at the atomic level in a sub-micrometre-sized crystal is difficult due to the lack of adequate characterization methods. Herein, we present two efficient and practical methods of characterization that are based on electron crystallography. These methods are successfully applied to reveal the handedness of a chiral, zeolite nanocrystal. The handedness is identified through either a comparison of two high-resolution transmission electron microscope images, taken from the same nanocrystal but along different zone axes by tilting it around its screw axis, or the intensity asymmetry of a Bijvoet pair of reflections in a single precession electron-diffraction pattern. These two approaches provide new ways to determine the handedness of small, chiral crystals.

中文翻译：

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电子晶体学测定手性沸石纳米晶的手性

手性晶体可用于对映选择性分离和催化。但是，由于缺乏适当的表征方法，因此难以研究亚微米级晶体的原子级手性。本文中，我们介绍了两种基于电子晶体学的高效，实用的表征方法。这些方法已成功应用于揭示手性沸石纳米晶体的手性。通过比较两个高分辨率透射电子显微镜图像（从相同的纳米晶体但沿其不同区域轴绕其螺旋轴倾斜沿不同区域轴获取的图像）来识别惯用性，或者在一次进动中获得Bijvoet对反射的强度不对称电子衍射图。