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Kleinerman O, Parra-Vasquez ANG, Green MJ, Behabtu N, Schmidt J, Kesselman E, Young CC, Cohen Y, Pasquali M, Talmon Y. Cryogenic-temperature electron microscopy direct imaging of carbon nanotubes and graphene solutions in superacids. J Microsc 2015; 259:16-25. [PMID: 25818279 DOI: 10.1111/jmi.12243] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2014] [Accepted: 02/07/2015] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Cryogenic electron microscopy (cryo-EM) is a powerful tool for imaging liquid and semiliquid systems. While cryogenic transmission electron microscopy (cryo-TEM) is a standard technique in many fields, cryogenic scanning electron microscopy (cryo-SEM) is still not that widely used and is far less developed. The vast majority of systems under investigation by cryo-EM involve either water or organic components. In this paper, we introduce the use of novel cryo-TEM and cryo-SEM specimen preparation and imaging methodologies, suitable for highly acidic and very reactive systems. Both preserve the native nanostructure in the system, while not harming the expensive equipment or the user. We present examples of direct imaging of single-walled, multiwalled carbon nanotubes and graphene, dissolved in chlorosulfonic acid and oleum. Moreover, we demonstrate the ability of these new cryo-TEM and cryo-SEM methodologies to follow phase transitions in carbon nanotube (CNT)/superacid systems, starting from dilute solutions up to the concentrated nematic liquid-crystalline CNT phases, used as the 'dope' for all-carbon-fibre spinning. Originally developed for direct imaging of CNTs and graphene dissolution and self-assembly in superacids, these methodologies can be implemented for a variety of highly acidic systems, paving a way for a new field of nonaqueous cryogenic electron microscopy.
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Affiliation(s)
- O Kleinerman
- Department of Chemical Engineering and the Russell Berrie Nanotechnology Institute, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel
| | - A Nicholas G Parra-Vasquez
- The Richard E. Smalley Institute for Nanoscale Science and Technology, Rice University, Houston, Texas, U.S.A
| | - M J Green
- The Richard E. Smalley Institute for Nanoscale Science and Technology, Rice University, Houston, Texas, U.S.A.,Artie McFerrin Department of Chemical Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, U.S.A
| | - N Behabtu
- The Richard E. Smalley Institute for Nanoscale Science and Technology, Rice University, Houston, Texas, U.S.A
| | - J Schmidt
- Department of Chemical Engineering and the Russell Berrie Nanotechnology Institute, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel
| | - E Kesselman
- Department of Chemical Engineering and the Russell Berrie Nanotechnology Institute, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel
| | - C C Young
- The Richard E. Smalley Institute for Nanoscale Science and Technology, Rice University, Houston, Texas, U.S.A
| | - Y Cohen
- Department of Chemical Engineering and the Russell Berrie Nanotechnology Institute, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel
| | - M Pasquali
- The Richard E. Smalley Institute for Nanoscale Science and Technology, Rice University, Houston, Texas, U.S.A.,Department of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering and Chemistry, Rice University, Houston, Texas, U.S.A.,Department of Materials Science & NanoEngineering, Rice University, Houston, Texas, U.S.A
| | - Y Talmon
- Department of Chemical Engineering and the Russell Berrie Nanotechnology Institute, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel
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Behabtu N, Young CC, Tsentalovich DE, Kleinerman O, Wang X, Ma AWK, Bengio EA, ter Waarbeek RF, de Jong JJ, Hoogerwerf RE, Fairchild SB, Ferguson JB, Maruyama B, Kono J, Talmon Y, Cohen Y, Otto MJ, Pasquali M. Strong, Light, Multifunctional Fibers of Carbon Nanotubes with Ultrahigh Conductivity. Science 2013; 339:182-6. [DOI: 10.1126/science.1228061] [Citation(s) in RCA: 965] [Impact Index Per Article: 87.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
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