3D structure–property correlations of electronic and energy materials by tomographic atomic force microscopy

The ever-increasing complexity in the structure and design of functional materials systems and devices necessitates new imaging approaches with 3D characterization capabilities and nanoscale resolution. This Perspective provides a brief review of the tomographic atomic force microscopy technique and its recent applications in the 3D nanocharacterization of energy and electronic materials including hybrid perovskites, CdTe, and ferroelectric BiFeO3, and filamentary resistive memories as model systems. We also propose several challenges and opportunities for further developing and applying this emerging approach for investigating fundamental and applied phenomena in a broader scope of functional materials.