The structure of ferritin cores determined by electron nanodiffraction.

摘要: Electron nanodiffraction, with a 100-keV electron beam less than 1 nm in diameter, has been used to obtain single-crystal diffraction patterns from individual iron-containing cores of ferritin molecules. We show that, while majority the have hexagonal structure somewhat similar major phase mineral ferrihydrite, as previously assumed, several minor phases are present including some that iron oxides magnetite and hematite also composed highly disordered material. In general, each core consists one single crystal phase.