1
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Lomholdt WB, Leth Larsen MH, Valencia CN, Schiøtz J, Hansen TW. Interpretability of high-resolution transmission electron microscopy images. Ultramicroscopy 2024; 263:113997. [PMID: 38820993 DOI: 10.1016/j.ultramic.2024.113997] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2024] [Revised: 05/15/2024] [Accepted: 05/25/2024] [Indexed: 06/02/2024]
Abstract
High-resolution electron microscopy is a well-suited tool for characterizing the nanoscale structure of materials. However, the interaction of the sample and the high-energy electrons of the beam can often have a detrimental impact on the sample structure. This effect can only be alleviated by decreasing the number of electrons to which the sample is exposed but will come at the cost of a decreased signal-to-noise ratio in the resulting image. Images with low signal to noise ratios are often challenging to interpret as parts of the sample with a low interaction with the electron beam are reproduced with very low contrast. Here we suggest simple measures as alternatives to the conventional signal-to-noise ratio and investigate how these can be used to predict the interpretability of the electron microscopy images. We test the models on a sample consisting of gold nanoparticles supported on a cerium dioxide substrate. The models are evaluated based on series of images acquired at varying electron dose.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Jakob Schiøtz
- DTU Physics, Technical University of Denmark (DTU), DK-2800 Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Thomas Willum Hansen
- DTU Nanolab, Technical University of Denmark (DTU), DK-2800 Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark.
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2
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Smith JW, Carnevale LN, Das A, Chen Q. Electron videography of a lipid-protein tango. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2024; 10:eadk0217. [PMID: 38630809 PMCID: PMC11023515 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adk0217] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2023] [Accepted: 03/15/2024] [Indexed: 04/19/2024]
Abstract
Biological phenomena, from enzymatic catalysis to synaptic transmission, originate in the structural transformations of biomolecules and biomolecular assemblies in liquid water. However, directly imaging these nanoscopic dynamics without probes or labels has been a fundamental methodological challenge. Here, we developed an approach for "electron videography"-combining liquid phase electron microscopy with molecular modeling-with which we filmed the nanoscale structural fluctuations of individual, suspended, and unlabeled membrane protein nanodiscs in liquid. Systematic comparisons with biochemical data and simulation indicate the graphene encapsulation involved can afford sufficiently reduced effects of the illuminating electron beam for these observations to yield quantitative fingerprints of nanoscale lipid-protein interactions. Our results suggest that lipid-protein interactions delineate dynamically modified membrane domains across unexpectedly long ranges. Moreover, they contribute to the molecular mechanics of the nanodisc as a whole in a manner specific to the protein within. Overall, this work illustrates an experimental approach to film, quantify, and understand biomolecular dynamics at the nanometer scale.
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Affiliation(s)
- John W. Smith
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Illinois Urbana–Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
| | - Lauren N. Carnevale
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Illinois Urbana–Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
| | - Aditi Das
- School of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Biosciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332, USA
| | - Qian Chen
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Illinois Urbana–Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
- Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois Urbana–Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
- Department of Chemistry, University of Illinois Urbana–Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
- Materials Research Laboratory, University of Illinois Urbana–Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
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3
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Chee SW, Lunkenbein T, Schlögl R, Roldán Cuenya B. Operando Electron Microscopy of Catalysts: The Missing Cornerstone in Heterogeneous Catalysis Research? Chem Rev 2023; 123:13374-13418. [PMID: 37967448 PMCID: PMC10722467 DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrev.3c00352] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2023] [Revised: 10/14/2023] [Accepted: 10/20/2023] [Indexed: 11/17/2023]
Abstract
Heterogeneous catalysis in thermal gas-phase and electrochemical liquid-phase chemical conversion plays an important role in our modern energy landscape. However, many of the structural features that drive efficient chemical energy conversion are still unknown. These features are, in general, highly distinct on the local scale and lack translational symmetry, and thus, they are difficult to capture without the required spatial and temporal resolution. Correlating these structures to their function will, conversely, allow us to disentangle irrelevant and relevant features, explore the entanglement of different local structures, and provide us with the necessary understanding to tailor novel catalyst systems with improved productivity. This critical review provides a summary of the still immature field of operando electron microscopy for thermal gas-phase and electrochemical liquid-phase reactions. It focuses on the complexity of investigating catalytic reactions and catalysts, progress in the field, and analysis. The forthcoming advances are discussed in view of correlative techniques, artificial intelligence in analysis, and novel reactor designs.
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Affiliation(s)
- See Wee Chee
- Department
of Interface Science, Fritz-Haber Institute
of the Max-Planck Society, 14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - Thomas Lunkenbein
- Department
of Inorganic Chemistry, Fritz-Haber Institute
of the Max-Planck Society, 14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - Robert Schlögl
- Department
of Interface Science, Fritz-Haber Institute
of the Max-Planck Society, 14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - Beatriz Roldán Cuenya
- Department
of Interface Science, Fritz-Haber Institute
of the Max-Planck Society, 14195 Berlin, Germany
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4
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Chen A, Dissanayake TU, Sun J, Woehl TJ. Unraveling chemical processes during nanoparticle synthesis with liquid phase electron microscopy and correlative techniques. Chem Commun (Camb) 2023; 59:12830-12846. [PMID: 37807847 DOI: 10.1039/d3cc03723a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/10/2023]
Abstract
Liquid phase transmission electron microscopy (LPTEM) has enabled unprecedented direct real time imaging of physicochemical processes during solution phase synthesis of metallic nanoparticles. LPTEM primarily provides images of nanometer scale, and sometimes atomic scale, metal nanoparticle crystallization processes, but provides little chemical information about organic surface ligands, metal-ligand complexes and reaction intermediates, and redox reactions. Likewise, complex electron beam-solvent interactions during LPTEM make it challenging to pinpoint the chemical processes, some involving exotic highly reactive radicals, impacting nanoparticle formation. Pairing LPTEM with correlative solution synthesis, ex situ chemical analysis, and theoretical modeling represents a powerful approach to gain a holistic understanding of the chemical processes involved in nanoparticle synthesis. In this feature article, we review recent work by our lab and others that has focused on elucidating chemical processes during nanoparticle synthesis using LPTEM and correlative chemical characterization and modeling, including mass and optical spectrometry, fluorescence microscopy, solution chemistry, and reaction kinetic modeling. In particular, we show how these approaches enable investigating redox chemistry during LPTEM, polymeric and organic capping ligands, metal deposition mechanisms on plasmonic nanoparticles, metal clusters and complexes, and multimetallic nanoparticle formation. Future avenues of research are discussed, including moving beyond electron beam induced nanoparticle formation by using light and thermal stimuli during LPTEM. We discuss prospects for real time LPTEM imaging and online chemical analysis of reaction intermediates using microfluidic flow reactors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amy Chen
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Maryland, College Park, College Park, MD 20742, USA
| | - Thilini U Dissanayake
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Maryland, College Park, College Park, MD 20742, USA.
| | - Jiayue Sun
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Maryland, College Park, College Park, MD 20742, USA
| | - Taylor J Woehl
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Maryland, College Park, College Park, MD 20742, USA.
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5
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Fritsch B, Körner A, Couasnon T, Blukis R, Taherkhani M, Benning LG, Jank MPM, Spiecker E, Hutzler A. Tailoring the Acidity of Liquid Media with Ionizing Radiation: Rethinking the Acid-Base Correlation beyond pH. J Phys Chem Lett 2023; 14:4644-4651. [PMID: 37167107 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.3c00593] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/13/2023]
Abstract
Advanced in situ techniques based on electrons and X-rays are increasingly used to gain insights into fundamental processes in liquids. However, probing liquid samples with ionizing radiation changes the solution chemistry under observation. In this work, we show that a radiation-induced decrease in pH does not necessarily correlate to an increase in acidity of aqueous solutions. Thus, pH does not capture the acidity under irradiation. Using kinetic modeling of radiation chemistry, we introduce alternative measures of acidity (radiolytic acidity π* and radiolytic ion product KW*), that account for radiation-induced alterations of both H+ and OH- concentration. Moreover, we demonstrate that adding pH-neutral solutes such as LiCl, LiBr, or LiNO3 can trigger a significant change in π*. This provides a huge parameter space to tailor the acidity for in situ experiments involving ionizing radiation, as present in synchrotron facilities or during liquid-phase electron microscopy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Birk Fritsch
- Helmholtz Institute Erlangen-Nürnberg for Renewable Energy (IEK-11), Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Cauerstraße 1, 91058 Erlangen, Germany
- Department of Electrical, Electronic and Communication Engineering, Electron Devices (LEB), Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Cauerstraße 6, 91058 Erlangen, Germany
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Institute of Micro- and Nanostructure Research (IMN) and Center for Nanoanalysis and Electron Microscopy (CENEM), Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Cauerstraße 3, 91058 Erlangen, Germany
| | - Andreas Körner
- Helmholtz Institute Erlangen-Nürnberg for Renewable Energy (IEK-11), Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Cauerstraße 1, 91058 Erlangen, Germany
| | - Thaïs Couasnon
- Helmholtz-Zentrum Potsdam, Deutsches GeoForschungsZentrum (GFZ), Telegrafenberg, 14473 Potsdam, Germany
| | - Roberts Blukis
- Helmholtz-Zentrum Potsdam, Deutsches GeoForschungsZentrum (GFZ), Telegrafenberg, 14473 Potsdam, Germany
| | - Mehran Taherkhani
- Department of Electrical, Electronic and Communication Engineering, Electron Devices (LEB), Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Cauerstraße 6, 91058 Erlangen, Germany
| | - Liane G Benning
- Helmholtz-Zentrum Potsdam, Deutsches GeoForschungsZentrum (GFZ), Telegrafenberg, 14473 Potsdam, Germany
- Department of Earth Sciences, Free University of Berlin, 12249 Berlin, Germany
| | - Michael P M Jank
- Department of Electrical, Electronic and Communication Engineering, Electron Devices (LEB), Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Cauerstraße 6, 91058 Erlangen, Germany
- Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Systems and Device Technology IISB, Schottkystraße 10, 91058 Erlangen, Germany
| | - Erdmann Spiecker
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Institute of Micro- and Nanostructure Research (IMN) and Center for Nanoanalysis and Electron Microscopy (CENEM), Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Cauerstraße 3, 91058 Erlangen, Germany
| | - Andreas Hutzler
- Helmholtz Institute Erlangen-Nürnberg for Renewable Energy (IEK-11), Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Cauerstraße 1, 91058 Erlangen, Germany
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6
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Wang Y, Rastogi D, Malek K, Sun J, Asa-Awuku A, Woehl TJ. Electric Field-Induced Water Condensation Visualized by Vapor-Phase Transmission Electron Microscopy. J Phys Chem A 2023; 127:2545-2553. [PMID: 36913529 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpca.2c08187] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/14/2023]
Abstract
Understanding the nanoscale water condensation dynamics in strong electric fields is important for improving the atmospheric modeling of cloud dynamics and emerging technologies utilizing electric fields for direct air moisture capture. Here, we use vapor-phase transmission electron microscopy (VPTEM) to directly image nanoscale condensation dynamics of sessile water droplets in electric fields. VPTEM imaging of saturated water vapor stimulated condensation of sessile water nanodroplets that grew to a size of ∼500 nm before evaporating over a time scale of a minute. Simulations showed that electron beam charging of the silicon nitride microfluidic channel windows generated electric fields of ∼108 V/m, which depressed the water vapor pressure and effected rapid nucleation of nanosized liquid water droplets. A mass balance model showed that droplet growth was consistent with electric field-induced condensation, while droplet evaporation was consistent with radiolysis-induced evaporation via conversion of water to hydrogen gas. The model quantified several electron beam-sample interactions and vapor transport properties, showed that electron beam heating was insignificant, and demonstrated that literature values significantly underestimated radiolytic hydrogen production and overestimated water vapor diffusivity. This work demonstrates a method for investigating water condensation in strong electric fields and under supersaturated conditions, which is relevant to vapor-liquid equilibrium in the troposphere. While this work identifies several electron beam-sample interactions that impact condensation dynamics, quantification of these phenomena here is expected to enable delineating these artifacts from the physics of interest and accounting for them when imaging more complex vapor-liquid equilibrium phenomena with VPTEM.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuhang Wang
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Maryland, College Park, College Park, Maryland 20742, United States
| | - Dewansh Rastogi
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Maryland, College Park, College Park, Maryland 20742, United States
| | - Kotiba Malek
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Maryland, College Park, College Park, Maryland 20742, United States
| | - Jiayue Sun
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Maryland, College Park, College Park, Maryland 20742, United States
| | - Akua Asa-Awuku
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Maryland, College Park, College Park, Maryland 20742, United States
| | - Taylor J Woehl
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Maryland, College Park, College Park, Maryland 20742, United States
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7
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Merkens S, De Salvo G, Kruse J, Modin E, Tollan C, Grzelczak M, Chuvilin A. Quantification of reagent mixing in liquid flow cells for Liquid Phase-TEM. Ultramicroscopy 2023; 245:113654. [PMID: 36470094 DOI: 10.1016/j.ultramic.2022.113654] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2022] [Revised: 11/11/2022] [Accepted: 11/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Liquid-Phase Transmission Electron Microscopy (LP-TEM) offers the opportunity to study nanoscale dynamics of phenomena related to materials and life science in a native liquid environment and in real time. Until now, the opportunity to control/induce such dynamics by changing the chemical environment in the liquid flow cell (LFC) has rarely been exploited due to an incomplete understanding of hydrodynamic properties of LP-TEM flow systems. This manuscript introduces a method for hydrodynamic characterization of LP-TEM flow systems based on monitoring transmitted intensity while flowing a strongly electron scattering contrast agent solution. Key characteristic temporal indicators of solution replacement for various channel geometries were experimentally measured. A numerical physical model of solute transport based on realistic flow channel geometries was successfully implemented and validated against experiments. The model confirmed the impact of flow channel geometry on the importance of convective and diffusive solute transport, deduced by experiment, and could further extend understanding of hydrodynamics in LP-TEM flow systems. We emphasize that our approach can be applied to hydrodynamic characterization of any customized LP-TEM flow system. We foresee the implemented predictive model driving the future design of application-specific LP-TEM flow systems and, when combined with existing chemical reaction models, to a flourishing of the planning and interpretation of experimental observations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefan Merkens
- Electron Microscopy Laboratory, CIC nanoGUNE BRTA, Tolosa Hiribidea 76, Donostia, San Sebastián 20018, Spain; Department of Physics, Euskal Herriko Unibertsitatea (UPV/EHU), Donostia, San Sebastián 20018, Spain.
| | - Giuseppe De Salvo
- Electron Microscopy Laboratory, CIC nanoGUNE BRTA, Tolosa Hiribidea 76, Donostia, San Sebastián 20018, Spain; Department of Physics, Euskal Herriko Unibertsitatea (UPV/EHU), Donostia, San Sebastián 20018, Spain
| | - Joscha Kruse
- Electron Microscopy Laboratory, CIC nanoGUNE BRTA, Tolosa Hiribidea 76, Donostia, San Sebastián 20018, Spain; Donostia International Physics Center (DIPC), Paseo Manuel de Lardizabal 4, Donostia, San Sebastián 20018, Spain
| | - Evgenii Modin
- Electron Microscopy Laboratory, CIC nanoGUNE BRTA, Tolosa Hiribidea 76, Donostia, San Sebastián 20018, Spain
| | - Christopher Tollan
- Electron Microscopy Laboratory, CIC nanoGUNE BRTA, Tolosa Hiribidea 76, Donostia, San Sebastián 20018, Spain
| | - Marek Grzelczak
- Donostia International Physics Center (DIPC), Paseo Manuel de Lardizabal 4, Donostia, San Sebastián 20018, Spain; Centro de Física de Materiales CSIC-UPV/EHU, Paseo Manuel de Lardizabal 5, Donostia, San Sebastián 20018, Spain
| | - Andrey Chuvilin
- Electron Microscopy Laboratory, CIC nanoGUNE BRTA, Tolosa Hiribidea 76, Donostia, San Sebastián 20018, Spain; Ikerbasque, Basque Foundation for Science, 48013 Bilbao, Spain
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8
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Chen A, Leff AC, Forcherio GT, Boltersdorf J, Woehl TJ. Examining Silver Deposition Pathways onto Gold Nanorods with Liquid-Phase Transmission Electron Microscopy. J Phys Chem Lett 2023; 14:1379-1388. [PMID: 36729066 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.2c03666] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Liquid-phase transmission electron microscopy (LP-TEM) enables one to directly visualize the formation of plasmonic nanoparticles and their postsynthetic modification, but the relative contributions of plasmonic hot electrons and radiolysis to metal precursor reduction remain unclear. Here we show silver deposition onto plasmonic gold nanorods (AuNRs) during LP-TEM is dominated by water radiolysis-induced chemical reduction. Silver was observed with LP-TEM to form bipyramidal shells at higher surfactant coverage and tip-preferential lobes at lower surfactant coverage. Ex situ silver photodeposition formed nanometer-thick shells on AuNRs with preferential deposition in inter-rod gaps, while chemical reduction deposited silver at AuNR tips at low surfactant coverage and formed pyramidal shells at higher surfactant coverage, consistent with LP-TEM. Silver deposition locations during LP-TEM were inconsistent with simulated near-field enhancement and hot electron generation hot spots. Collectively, the results indicate chemical reduction dominated during LP-TEM, indicating observation of plasmonic hot electron-induced photoreduction will necessitate suppression of radiolysis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amy Chen
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742, United States
| | - Asher C Leff
- U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command - Army Research Laboratory, Adelphi, Maryland 20783, United States
- General Technical Services, LLC, Wall Township, New Jersey 07727, United States
| | - Gregory T Forcherio
- Electrooptic Technology Division, Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane, Indiana 47522, United States
| | - Jonathan Boltersdorf
- U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command - Army Research Laboratory, Adelphi, Maryland 20783, United States
| | - Taylor J Woehl
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742, United States
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9
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Żak AM. Light-Induced In Situ Transmission Electron Microscopy─Development, Challenges, and Perspectives. NANO LETTERS 2022; 22:9219-9226. [PMID: 36442075 PMCID: PMC9756336 DOI: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.2c03669] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2022] [Revised: 11/16/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Transmission electron microscopy is a basic technique used for examining matter at the highest magnification scale available. One of its most challenging branches is in situ microscopy, in which dynamic processes are observed in real time. Among the various stimuli, like strain, temperature, and magnetic or electric fields, the light-matter interaction is rarely observed. However, in recent years, a significant increase in the interest in this technique has been observed. Therefore, I present a summary and critical review of all the in situ experiments performed with light, various technical possibilities for bringing radiation inside the transmission electron microscope, and the most important differences between the effects of light and electrons on the studied matter. Finally, I summarize the most promising directions for further research using light excitation.
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10
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Bultema LA, Bücker R, Schulz EC, Tellkamp F, Gonschior J, Miller RD, Kassier GH. The effect of secondary electrons on radiolysis as observed by in liquid TEM: The role of window material and electrical bias. Ultramicroscopy 2022; 240:113579. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ultramic.2022.113579] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2022] [Revised: 06/17/2022] [Accepted: 06/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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11
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Cha HW, An BS, Yang CW. In Situ Observation of the Early Stages of Rapid Solid-Liquid Reaction in Closed Liquid Cell TEM Using Graphene Encapsulation. MICROSCOPY AND MICROANALYSIS : THE OFFICIAL JOURNAL OF MICROSCOPY SOCIETY OF AMERICA, MICROBEAM ANALYSIS SOCIETY, MICROSCOPICAL SOCIETY OF CANADA 2022; 28:53-60. [PMID: 35177141 DOI: 10.1017/s1431927621013647] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
In situ liquid cell transmission electron microscopy (TEM) is a very useful tool for investigating dynamic solid–liquid reactions. However, there are challenges to observe the early stages of spontaneous solid–liquid reactions using a closed-type liquid cell system, the most popular and simple liquid cell system. We propose a graphene encapsulation method to overcome this limitation of closed-type liquid cell TEM. The solid and liquid are separated using graphene to suspend the reaction until the graphene layer is destroyed. Graphene can be decomposed by the high-energy electron beam used in TEM, allowing the reaction to proceed. Fast dissolution of graphene-capped copper nanoparticles in an FeCl3 solution was demonstrated via in situ liquid cell TEM at 300 kV using a cell with closed-type SiNx windows.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hyun Woo Cha
- School of Advanced Materials Science & Engineering, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon, Gyeonggi-do16419, Korea
| | - Byeong-Seon An
- School of Advanced Materials Science & Engineering, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon, Gyeonggi-do16419, Korea
| | - Cheol-Woong Yang
- School of Advanced Materials Science & Engineering, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon, Gyeonggi-do16419, Korea
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12
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Dissanayake TU, Wang M, Woehl TJ. Revealing Reactions between the Electron Beam and Nanoparticle Capping Ligands with Correlative Fluorescence and Liquid-Phase Electron Microscopy. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2021; 13:37553-37562. [PMID: 34338503 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.1c10957] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Liquid-phase transmission electron microscopy (LP-TEM) enables real-time imaging of nanoparticle self-assembly, formation, and etching with single nanometer resolution. Despite the importance of organic nanoparticle capping ligands in these processes, the effect of electron beam irradiation on surface-bound and soluble capping ligands during LP-TEM imaging has not been investigated. Here, we use correlative LP-TEM and fluorescence microscopy (FM) to demonstrate that polymeric nanoparticle ligands undergo competing crosslinking and chain scission reactions that nonmonotonically modify ligand coverage over time. Branched polyethylenimine (BPEI)-coated silver nanoparticles were imaged with dose-controlled LP-TEM followed by labeling their primary amine groups with fluorophores to visualize the local thickness of adsorbed capping ligands. FM images showed that free ligands crosslinked in the LP-TEM image area over imaging times of tens of seconds, enhancing local capping ligand coverage on nanoparticles and silicon nitride membranes. Nanoparticle surface ligands underwent chain scission over irradiation times of minutes to tens of minutes, which depleted surface ligands from the nanoparticle and silicon nitride surface. Conversely, solutions of only soluble capping ligand underwent successive crosslinking reactions with no chain scission, suggesting that nanoparticles enhanced the chain scission reactions by acting as radiolysis hotspots. The addition of a hydroxyl radical scavenger, tert-butanol, eliminated chain scission reactions and slowed the progression of crosslinking reactions. These experiments have important implications for performing controlled and reproducible LP-TEM nanoparticle imaging as they demonstrate that the electron beam can significantly alter ligand coverage on nanoparticles in a nonintuitive manner. They emphasize the need to understand and control the electron beam radiation chemistry of a given sample to avoid significant perturbations to the nanoparticle capping ligand chemistry, which are invisible in electron micrographs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thilini U Dissanayake
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Maryland, College Park, College Park, Maryland 20742, United States
| | - Mei Wang
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Maryland, College Park, College Park, Maryland 20742, United States
| | - Taylor J Woehl
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Maryland, College Park, College Park, Maryland 20742, United States
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13
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Guide to controlling the electron dose to improve low-dose imaging of sensitive samples. Micron 2021; 145:103058. [DOI: 10.1016/j.micron.2021.103058] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2020] [Revised: 03/14/2021] [Accepted: 03/14/2021] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
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14
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Fritsch B, Hutzler A, Wu M, Khadivianazar S, Vogl L, Jank MPM, März M, Spiecker E. Accessing local electron-beam induced temperature changes during in situ liquid-phase transmission electron microscopy. NANOSCALE ADVANCES 2021; 3:2466-2474. [PMID: 36134158 PMCID: PMC9419575 DOI: 10.1039/d0na01027h] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2020] [Accepted: 02/18/2021] [Indexed: 05/26/2023]
Abstract
A significant electron-beam induced heating effect is demonstrated for liquid-phase transmission electron microscopy at low electron flux densities using Au nanoparticles as local nanothermometers. The obtained results are in agreement with theoretical considerations. Furthermore, the impact of beam-induced heating on radiolysis chemistry is estimated and the consequences of the effect are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Birk Fritsch
- Electron Devices (LEB), Department of Electrical, Electronic and Communication Engineering, Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU) Cauerstraße 6 91058 Erlangen Germany
| | - Andreas Hutzler
- Electron Devices (LEB), Department of Electrical, Electronic and Communication Engineering, Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU) Cauerstraße 6 91058 Erlangen Germany
| | - Mingjian Wu
- Institute of Micro- and Nanostructure Research (IMN) & Center for Nanoanalysis and Electron Microscopy (CENEM), Interdisciplinary Center for Nanostructured Films (IZNF), Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU) Cauerstraße 3 91058 Erlangen Germany
| | - Saba Khadivianazar
- Electron Devices (LEB), Department of Electrical, Electronic and Communication Engineering, Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU) Cauerstraße 6 91058 Erlangen Germany
| | - Lilian Vogl
- Institute of Micro- and Nanostructure Research (IMN) & Center for Nanoanalysis and Electron Microscopy (CENEM), Interdisciplinary Center for Nanostructured Films (IZNF), Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU) Cauerstraße 3 91058 Erlangen Germany
| | - Michael P M Jank
- Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Systems and Device Technology IISB Schottkystraße 10 91058 Erlangen Germany
| | - Martin März
- Electron Devices (LEB), Department of Electrical, Electronic and Communication Engineering, Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU) Cauerstraße 6 91058 Erlangen Germany
- Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Systems and Device Technology IISB Schottkystraße 10 91058 Erlangen Germany
| | - Erdmann Spiecker
- Institute of Micro- and Nanostructure Research (IMN) & Center for Nanoanalysis and Electron Microscopy (CENEM), Interdisciplinary Center for Nanostructured Films (IZNF), Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU) Cauerstraße 3 91058 Erlangen Germany
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15
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Sun M, Tian J, Chen Q. The studies on wet chemical etching via in situ liquid cell TEM. Ultramicroscopy 2021; 231:113271. [PMID: 33879369 DOI: 10.1016/j.ultramic.2021.113271] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2020] [Revised: 03/11/2021] [Accepted: 04/02/2021] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Wet chemical etching is a widely used process to fabricate fascinating nanomaterials, such as nanoparticles with precisely controlled size and shape. Understanding the etching mechanism and kinetic evolution process is crucial for controlling wet chemical etching. The development of in situ liquid cell transmission electron microscopy (LCTEM) enables the study on wet chemical etching with high temporal and spatial resolutions. However, there still lack a detailed literature review on the wet chemical etching studies by in situ LCTEM. In this review, we summarize the studies on wet etching nanoparticles, one-dimensional nanomaterials and nanoribbons by in situ LCTEM, including etching rate, anisotropic etching, morphology evolution process, and etching mechanism. The challenges and opportunities of in situ LCTEM are also discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mei Sun
- Key Laboratory for the Physics and Chemistry of Nanodevices and Department of Electronics, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China; Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China
| | - Jiamin Tian
- Key Laboratory for the Physics and Chemistry of Nanodevices and Department of Electronics, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Qing Chen
- Key Laboratory for the Physics and Chemistry of Nanodevices and Department of Electronics, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China.
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16
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Azim S, Bultema LA, de Kock MB, Osorio-Blanco ER, Calderón M, Gonschior J, Leimkohl JP, Tellkamp F, Bücker R, Schulz EC, Keskin S, de Jonge N, Kassier GH, Miller RJD. Environmental Liquid Cell Technique for Improved Electron Microscopic Imaging of Soft Matter in Solution. MICROSCOPY AND MICROANALYSIS : THE OFFICIAL JOURNAL OF MICROSCOPY SOCIETY OF AMERICA, MICROBEAM ANALYSIS SOCIETY, MICROSCOPICAL SOCIETY OF CANADA 2021; 27:44-53. [PMID: 33280632 DOI: 10.1017/s1431927620024654] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Liquid-phase transmission electron microscopy is a technique for simultaneous imaging of the structure and dynamics of specimens in a liquid environment. The conventional sample geometry consists of a liquid layer tightly sandwiched between two Si3N4 windows with a nominal spacing on the order of 0.5 μm. We describe a variation of the conventional approach, wherein the Si3N4 windows are separated by a 10-μm-thick spacer, thus providing room for gas flow inside the liquid specimen enclosure. Adjusting the pressure and flow speed of humid air inside this environmental liquid cell (ELC) creates a stable liquid layer of controllable thickness on the bottom window, thus facilitating high-resolution observations of low mass-thickness contrast objects at low electron doses. We demonstrate controllable liquid thicknesses in the range 160 ± 34 to 340 ± 71 nm resulting in corresponding edge resolutions of 0.8 ± 0.06 to 1.7 ± 0.8 nm as measured for immersed gold nanoparticles. Liquid layer thickness 40 ± 8 nm allowed imaging of low-contrast polystyrene particles. Hydration effects in the ELC have been studied using poly-N-isopropylacrylamide nanogels with a silica core. Therefore, ELC can be a suitable tool for in situ investigations of liquid specimens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sana Azim
- Max Planck Institute for the Structure and Dynamics of Matter, Luruper Chaussee 149, Geb. 99 (CFEL), 22761Hamburg, Germany
| | - Lindsey A Bultema
- Max Planck Institute for the Structure and Dynamics of Matter, Luruper Chaussee 149, Geb. 99 (CFEL), 22761Hamburg, Germany
| | - Michiel B de Kock
- Max Planck Institute for the Structure and Dynamics of Matter, Luruper Chaussee 149, Geb. 99 (CFEL), 22761Hamburg, Germany
- Centre for Structural Systems Biology, Department of Chemistry, University of Hamburg, Notkestraße 85, 22607Hamburg, Germany
| | | | - Marcelo Calderón
- POLYMAT & Applied Chemistry Department, Faculty of Chemistry, University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU, Paseo Manuel de Lardizabal 3, 20018Donostia-San Sebastián, Spain
- IKERBASQUE, Basque Foundation for Science, 48013Bilbao, Spain
| | - Josef Gonschior
- Max Planck Institute for the Structure and Dynamics of Matter, Luruper Chaussee 149, Geb. 99 (CFEL), 22761Hamburg, Germany
| | - Jan-Philipp Leimkohl
- Max Planck Institute for the Structure and Dynamics of Matter, Luruper Chaussee 149, Geb. 99 (CFEL), 22761Hamburg, Germany
| | - Friedjof Tellkamp
- Max Planck Institute for the Structure and Dynamics of Matter, Luruper Chaussee 149, Geb. 99 (CFEL), 22761Hamburg, Germany
| | - Robert Bücker
- Max Planck Institute for the Structure and Dynamics of Matter, Luruper Chaussee 149, Geb. 99 (CFEL), 22761Hamburg, Germany
| | - Eike C Schulz
- Max Planck Institute for the Structure and Dynamics of Matter, Luruper Chaussee 149, Geb. 99 (CFEL), 22761Hamburg, Germany
| | - Sercan Keskin
- INM - Leibniz Institute for New Materials, Campus D2 2, 66123Saarbrücken, Germany
| | - Niels de Jonge
- INM - Leibniz Institute for New Materials, Campus D2 2, 66123Saarbrücken, Germany
- Department of Physics, Saarland University, Campus D2 2, 66123Saarbrücken, Germany
| | - Günther H Kassier
- Max Planck Institute for the Structure and Dynamics of Matter, Luruper Chaussee 149, Geb. 99 (CFEL), 22761Hamburg, Germany
| | - R J Dwayne Miller
- Max Planck Institute for the Structure and Dynamics of Matter, Luruper Chaussee 149, Geb. 99 (CFEL), 22761Hamburg, Germany
- Departments of Chemistry and Physics, University of Toronto, 80 St. Georg Street, Toronto, ONM5S 3H6, Canada
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17
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Parent LR, Gnanasekaran K, Korpanty J, Gianneschi NC. 100th Anniversary of Macromolecular Science Viewpoint: Polymeric Materials by In Situ Liquid-Phase Transmission Electron Microscopy. ACS Macro Lett 2021; 10:14-38. [PMID: 35548998 DOI: 10.1021/acsmacrolett.0c00595] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
A century ago, Hermann Staudinger proposed the macromolecular theory of polymers, and now, as we enter the second century of polymer science, we face a different set of opportunities and challenges for the development of functional soft matter. Indeed, many fundamental questions remain open, relating to physical structures and mechanisms of phase transformations at the molecular and nanoscale. In this Viewpoint, we describe efforts to develop a dynamic, in situ microscopy tool suited to the study of polymeric materials at the nanoscale that allows for direct observation of discrete structures and processes in solution, as a complement to light, neutron, and X-ray scattering methods. Liquid-phase transmission electron microscopy (LPTEM) is a nascent in situ imaging technique for characterizing and examining solvated nanomaterials in real time. Though still under development, LPTEM has been shown to be capable of several modes of imaging: (1) imaging static solvated materials analogous to cryo-TEM, (2) videography of nanomaterials in motion, (3) observing solutions or nanomaterials undergoing physical and chemical transformations, including synthesis, assembly, and phase transitions, and (4) observing electron beam-induced chemical-materials processes. Herein, we describe opportunities and limitations of LPTEM for polymer science. We review the basic experimental platform of LPTEM and describe the origin of electron beam effects that go hand in hand with the imaging process. These electron beam effects cause perturbation and damage to the sample and solvent that can manifest as artefacts in images and videos. We describe sample-specific experimental guidelines and outline approaches to mitigate, characterize, and quantify beam damaging effects. Altogether, we seek to provide an overview of this nascent field in the context of its potential to contribute to the advancement of polymer science.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucas R. Parent
- Innovation Partnership Building, The University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut 06269, United States
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18
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Gupta T, Strelcov E, Holland G, Schumacher J, Yang Y, Esch MB, Aksyuk V, Zeller P, Amati M, Gregoratti L, Kolmakov A. Electron and X-ray Focused Beam-Induced Cross-Linking in Liquids: Toward Rapid Continuous 3D Nanoprinting and Interfacing using Soft Materials. ACS NANO 2020; 14:12982-12992. [PMID: 32935540 PMCID: PMC7986474 DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.0c04266] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Multiphoton polymer cross-linking evolves as the core process behind high-resolution additive microfabrication with soft materials for implantable/wearable electronics, tissue engineering, microrobotics, biosensing, drug delivery, etc. Electrons and soft X-rays, in principle, can offer even higher resolution and printing rates. However, these powerful lithographic tools are difficult to apply to vacuum incompatible liquid precursor solutions used in continuous additive fabrication. In this work, using biocompatible hydrogel as a model soft material, we demonstrate high-resolution in-liquid polymer cross-linking using scanning electron and X-ray microscopes. The approach augments the existing solid-state electron/X-ray lithography and beam-induced deposition techniques with a wider class of possible chemical reactions, precursors, and functionalities. We discuss the focused beam cross-linking mechanism, the factors affecting the ultimate feature size, and layer-by-layer printing possibilities. The potential of this technology is demonstrated on a few practically important applications such as in-liquid encapsulation of nanoparticles for plasmonic sensing and interfacing of viable cells with hydrogel electrodes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tanya Gupta
- NIST, Gaithersburg, MD 20899, USA
- Maryland NanoCenter, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA
| | - Evgheni Strelcov
- NIST, Gaithersburg, MD 20899, USA
- Maryland NanoCenter, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA
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19
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Alam SB, Yang J, Bustillo KC, Ophus C, Ercius P, Zheng H, Chan EM. Hybrid nanocapsules for in situ TEM imaging of gas evolution reactions in confined liquids. NANOSCALE 2020; 12:18606-18615. [PMID: 32970077 DOI: 10.1039/d0nr05281g] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Liquid cell transmission electron microscopy (TEM) enables the direct observation of dynamic physical and chemical processes in liquids at the nanoscale. Quantitative investigations into reactions with fast kinetics and/or multiple reagents will benefit from further advances in liquid cell design that facilitate rapid in situ mixing and precise control over reagent volumes and concentrations. This work reports the development of inorganic-organic nanocapsules for high-resolution TEM imaging of nanoscale reactions in liquids with well-defined zeptoliter volumes. These hybrid nanocapsules, with 48 nm average diameter, consist of a thin layer of gold coating a lipid vesicle. As a model reaction, the nucleation, growth, and diffusion of nanobubbles generated by the radiolysis of water is investigated inside the nanocapsules. When the nanobubbles are sufficiently small (10-25 nm diameter), they are mobile in the nanocapsules, but their movement deviates from Brownian motion, which may result from geometric confinement by the nanocapsules. Gases and fluids can be transported between two nanocapsules when they fuse, demonstrating in situ mixing without using complex microfluidic schemes. The ability to synthesize nanocapsules with controlled sizes and to monitor dynamics simultaneously inside multiple nanocapsules provides opportunities to investigate nanoscale processes such as single nanoparticle synthesis in confined volumes and biological processes such as biomineralization and membrane dynamics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sardar B Alam
- The Molecular Foundry, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA.
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20
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Cheek Q, Fahrenkrug E, Hlynchuk S, Alsem DH, Salmon NJ, Maldonado S. In Situ Transmission Electron Microscopy Measurements of Ge Nanowire Synthesis with Liquid Metal Nanodroplets in Water. ACS NANO 2020; 14:2869-2879. [PMID: 32083842 DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.9b06468] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
The growth of Ge nanowires in water inside a liquid transmission electron microscope (TEM) holder has been demonstrated at room temperature. Each nanowire growth event was stimulated by the incident electron beam on otherwise unsupported liquid Ga or liquid In nanodroplets. A variety of conditions were explored, including liquid metal nanodroplet surface condition, liquid metal nanodroplet size and density, formal concentration of dissolved GeO2, and electron beam intensity. The cumulative observations from a series of videos recorded during growth events suggested the following points. First, the conditions necessary for initiating nanowire growth at uncontacted liquid metal nanodroplets in a liquid TEM cell indicate the process was governed by solvated electrons generated from secondary electrons scattered by the liquid metal nanodroplets. The attained current densities were comparable to those achieved in conventional electrochemical liquid-liquid-solid (ec-LLS) growths outside of a TEM. Second, the surface condition of the liquid metal nanodroplets was quite influential on whether nanowire growth occurred and surface diffusion of Ge adatoms contributed to the rate of crystallization. Third, the Ge nanowire growth rates were limited by the feed rate of Ge to the crystal growth front rather than the rate of crystallization at the liquid metal/solid Ge interface. Estimates of an electrochemical current for the reduction of dissolved GeO2 were nominally in line with currents used for Ge nanowire growth by ec-LLS outside of the TEM. Fourth, the Ge nanowire growths in the liquid TEM cell occurred far from thermodynamic equilibrium, with supersaturation values of 104 prior to nucleation. These collective points provide insight on how to further control and improve Ge nanowire morphology and crystallographic quality by the ec-LLS method.
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Affiliation(s)
- Quintin Cheek
- Department of Chemistry, University of Michigan, 930 N. University, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109-1055, United States
| | - Eli Fahrenkrug
- Department of Chemistry, Colorado College, 14 East Cache la Poudre St., Colorado Springs, Colorado 80903, United States
| | - Sofiya Hlynchuk
- Department of Chemistry, University of Michigan, 930 N. University, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109-1055, United States
| | - Daan Hein Alsem
- Hummingbird Scientific, 2610 Willamette Drive NE, Suite A, Lacey, Washington 98516, United States
| | - Norman J Salmon
- Hummingbird Scientific, 2610 Willamette Drive NE, Suite A, Lacey, Washington 98516, United States
| | - Stephen Maldonado
- Department of Chemistry, University of Michigan, 930 N. University, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109-1055, United States
- Program in Applied Physics, University of Michigan, 930 N. University, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109-1055, United States
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21
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Smith JW, Chen Q. Liquid-phase electron microscopy imaging of cellular and biomolecular systems. J Mater Chem B 2020; 8:8490-8506. [DOI: 10.1039/d0tb01300e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Liquid-phase electron microscopy, a new method for real-time nanoscopic imaging in liquid, makes it possible to study cells or biomolecules with a singular combination of spatial and temporal resolution. We review the state of the art in biological research in this growing and promising field.
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Affiliation(s)
- John W. Smith
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign
- Urbana
- USA
| | - Qian Chen
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign
- Urbana
- USA
- Department of Chemistry
- University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign
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22
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Pu S, Gong C, Robertson AW. Liquid cell transmission electron microscopy and its applications. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2020; 7:191204. [PMID: 32218950 PMCID: PMC7029903 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.191204] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2019] [Accepted: 11/19/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) has long been an essential tool for understanding the structure of materials. Over the past couple of decades, this venerable technique has undergone a number of revolutions, such as the development of aberration correction for atomic level imaging, the realization of cryogenic TEM for imaging biological specimens, and new instrumentation permitting the observation of dynamic systems in situ. Research in the latter has rapidly accelerated in recent years, based on a silicon-chip architecture that permits a versatile array of experiments to be performed under the high vacuum of the TEM. Of particular interest is using these silicon chips to enclose fluids safely inside the TEM, allowing us to observe liquid dynamics at the nanoscale. In situ imaging of liquid phase reactions under TEM can greatly enhance our understanding of fundamental processes in fields from electrochemistry to cell biology. Here, we review how in situ TEM experiments of liquids can be performed, with a particular focus on microchip-encapsulated liquid cell TEM. We will cover the basics of the technique, and its strengths and weaknesses with respect to related in situ TEM methods for characterizing liquid systems. We will show how this technique has provided unique insights into nanomaterial synthesis and manipulation, battery science and biological cells. A discussion on the main challenges of the technique, and potential means to mitigate and overcome them, will also be presented.
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23
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Wang ST, Lin Y, Nielsen MH, Song CY, Thomas MR, Spicer CD, Kröger R, Ercius P, Aloni S, Stevens MM. Shape-controlled synthesis and in situ characterisation of anisotropic Au nanomaterials using liquid cell transmission electron microscopy. NANOSCALE 2019; 11:16801-16809. [PMID: 31469380 DOI: 10.1039/c9nr01474h] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Understanding the mechanisms behind crystal nucleation and growth is a fundamental requirement for the design and production of bespoke nanomaterials with controlled sizes and morphologies. Herein, we select gold (Au) nanoparticles as the model system for our study due to their representative applications in biology, electronics and optoelectronics. We investigate the radiation-induced in situ growth of gold (Au) particles using liquid cell transmission electron microscopy (LCTEM) and study the growth kinetics of non-spherical Au structures. Under controlled electron fluence, liquid flow rate and Au3+ ion supply, we show the favoured diffusion-limited growth of multi-twinned nascent Au seed particles into branched structures when using thin liquid cells (100 nm and 250 nm) in LCTEM, whereas faceted structures (e.g., spheres, rods, and prisms) formed when using a 1 μm thick liquid cell. In addition, we observed that anisotropic Au growth could be modulated by Au-binding amyloid fibrils, which we ascribe to their capability to regulate Au3+ ion diffusion and mass transfer in solution. We anticipate that this study will provide new perspectives on the shape-controlled synthesis of anisotropic metallic nanomaterials using LCTEM.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shih-Ting Wang
- Department of Materials, Imperial College London, Exhibition Road, London, SW7 2AZ, UK.
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24
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Lami SK, Smith G, Cao E, Hastings JT. The radiation chemistry of focused electron-beam induced etching of copper in liquids. NANOSCALE 2019; 11:11550-11561. [PMID: 31168552 DOI: 10.1039/c9nr01857c] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Well-controlled, focused electron-beam induced etching of copper thin films has been successfully conducted on bulk substrates in an environmental scanning electron microscope by controlling liquid-film thickness with an in situ correlative interferometry system. Knowledge of the liquid-film thickness enables a hybrid Monte Carlo/continuum model of the radiation chemistry to accurately predict the copper etch rate using only electron scattering cross-sections, radical yields, and reaction rates from previous studies. Etch rates depended strongly on the thickness of the liquid film and simulations confirmed that this was a result of increased oxidizing radical generation. Etch rates also depended strongly, but non-linearly, on electron beam current, and simulations showed that this effect arises through the dose-rate dependence of reactions of radical species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah K Lami
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky 40506, USA.
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25
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Radiation damage to organic and inorganic specimens in the TEM. Micron 2019; 119:72-87. [DOI: 10.1016/j.micron.2019.01.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 174] [Impact Index Per Article: 34.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2018] [Revised: 01/15/2019] [Accepted: 01/16/2019] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
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26
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Zhu G, Reiner H, Cölfen H, De Yoreo JJ. Addressing some of the technical challenges associated with liquid phase S/TEM studies of particle nucleation, growth and assembly. Micron 2019; 118:35-42. [DOI: 10.1016/j.micron.2018.12.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2018] [Revised: 12/03/2018] [Accepted: 12/05/2018] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
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27
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Moser TH, Shokuhfar T, Evans JE. Considerations for imaging thick, low contrast, and beam sensitive samples with liquid cell transmission electron microscopy. Micron 2018; 117:8-15. [PMID: 30419433 DOI: 10.1016/j.micron.2018.10.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2018] [Revised: 10/15/2018] [Accepted: 10/29/2018] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Transmission electron microscopy of whole cells is hindered by the inherently large thickness and low atomic contrast intrinsic of cellular material. Liquid cell transmission electron microscopy allows samples to remain in their native hydrated state and may permit visualizing cellular dynamics in-situ. However, imaging biological cells with this approach remains challenging and identifying an optimal imaging regime using empirical data would help foster new advancements in the field. Recent questions about the role of the electron beam inducing morphological changes or damaging cellular structure and function necessitates further investigation of electron beam-cell interactions, but such comparisons are complicated by variability in imaging techniques used across various studies currently present in literature. The necessity for using low electron fluxes while imaging biological samples requires finding an imaging strategy which produces the strongest contrast and signal to noise ratio for the electron flux used. Here, we experimentally measure and evaluate signal to noise ratios and damage mechanisms between liquid and cryogenic samples of intact cells using multiple electron imaging modalities all on the same instrument and with equivalent beam parameters to standardize the comparison. We also discuss considerations for optimal electron microscopy imaging conditions for future studies on whole cells within liquid environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Trevor H Moser
- Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory, 3335 Innovation Blvd., Richland, WA 99354, USA; Michigan Technological University, 1400 Townsend Dr., Houghton, MI 49931, USA
| | - Tolou Shokuhfar
- Michigan Technological University, 1400 Townsend Dr., Houghton, MI 49931, USA; University of Illinois Chicago, 1200 W. Harrison St., Chicago, IL 60607, USA
| | - James E Evans
- Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory, 3335 Innovation Blvd., Richland, WA 99354, USA; School of Biological Sciences, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, 99164, USA.
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