Abstract:Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) has become a powerful analytical tool for addressing unique scientific problems in chemical sciences as well as in materials sciences and other disciplines. There has been a lot of recent interest in the development and applications of liquid phase environmental TEM. In this Account, we review the development and applications of liquid cell TEM for the study of dynamic phenomena at liquid-solid interfaces, focusing on two areas: (1) nucleation, growth, and self-assembly o… Show more
“…In this configuration, a full cell composed of two electrodes and a liquid electrolyte is sandwiched between two electron‐transparent windows and sealed to prevent evaporation of the electrolyte in high‐vacuum TEM. Several in situ TEM studies of electrochemical cells using conventional liquid electrolytes have been reported . Gu et al observed lithiation and delithiation of silicon‐nanowire electrodes in the same environment as a commercial battery system where a conventional liquid electrolyte and Li metal were applied .…”
Section: In Situ Study Of Nanomaterials With External Biasmentioning
For the past few decades, nanoparticles of various sizes, shapes, and compositions have been synthesized and utilized in many different applications. However, due to a lack of analytical tools that can characterize structural changes at the nanoscale level, many of their growth and transformation processes are not yet well understood. The recently developed technique of liquid-phase transmission electron microscopy (TEM) has gained much attention as a new tool to directly observe chemical reactions that occur in solution. Due to its high spatial and temporal resolution, this technique is widely employed to reveal fundamental mechanisms of nanoparticle growth and transformation. Here, the technical developments for liquid-phase TEM together with their application to the study of solution-phase nanoparticle chemistry are summarized. Two types of liquid cells that can be used in the high-vacuum conditions required by TEM are discussed, followed by recent in situ TEM studies of chemical reactions of colloidal nanoparticles. New findings on the growth mechanism, transformation, and motion of nanoparticles are subsequently discussed in detail.
“…In this configuration, a full cell composed of two electrodes and a liquid electrolyte is sandwiched between two electron‐transparent windows and sealed to prevent evaporation of the electrolyte in high‐vacuum TEM. Several in situ TEM studies of electrochemical cells using conventional liquid electrolytes have been reported . Gu et al observed lithiation and delithiation of silicon‐nanowire electrodes in the same environment as a commercial battery system where a conventional liquid electrolyte and Li metal were applied .…”
Section: In Situ Study Of Nanomaterials With External Biasmentioning
For the past few decades, nanoparticles of various sizes, shapes, and compositions have been synthesized and utilized in many different applications. However, due to a lack of analytical tools that can characterize structural changes at the nanoscale level, many of their growth and transformation processes are not yet well understood. The recently developed technique of liquid-phase transmission electron microscopy (TEM) has gained much attention as a new tool to directly observe chemical reactions that occur in solution. Due to its high spatial and temporal resolution, this technique is widely employed to reveal fundamental mechanisms of nanoparticle growth and transformation. Here, the technical developments for liquid-phase TEM together with their application to the study of solution-phase nanoparticle chemistry are summarized. Two types of liquid cells that can be used in the high-vacuum conditions required by TEM are discussed, followed by recent in situ TEM studies of chemical reactions of colloidal nanoparticles. New findings on the growth mechanism, transformation, and motion of nanoparticles are subsequently discussed in detail.
“…In 2016, she joined HUST as a lecturer; recently, her research interest lies in teaching and research in characterization of polymer microstructures & nanomaterials. nanoparticles corrosion, 6 self-assembly of nanomaterials, 7 dynamical processes in vivo, 8 in situ electrochemistry 9 and radiolysis induced reaction in energy systems. 10 In this review, we summarize the development of the technology for liquid phase TEM and its application in studying dynamic processes of nanomaterials in recent years (2014-2019).…”
Section: Yan Guomentioning
confidence: 99%
“…All these exciting works about in situ electrochemistry by liquid phase TEM have been summarized in literatures. 4,9,12,68 Additionally, in 2018, Lutz et al have studied the charge/discharge mechanism in Na-O 2 batteries by using fast imaging TEM with electrochemical liquid cells. 69 Fig.…”
The dynamic processes of nanomaterials are common phenomena in material science and biological system. Liquid-phase transmission electron microscopy (TEM) with high resolution provides unprecedented insights into dynamical processes by in situ imaging. This review summarizes the technical developments and the breakthroughs during 2014-2019 in the field of nanoparticles nucleation and growth, nanoparticles corrosion, self-assembly of nanomaterials, dynamical processes in vivo, in situ electrochemistry and radiolysis induced reaction in energy systems. The recent research developments in the liquid-phase TEM will promote advancement for material science and bioscience.
“…With the technical advances in electron microscopy, liquid cell transmission electron microscopy (TEM) has acted as a direct and useful tool for observing material transformation in real-time at atomic resolution [16][17][18][19][20][21]. Nanocrystal superlattice formations through self-assembly in solution have been studied by liquid cell TEM [22][23][24][25][26].…”
Two dimensional (2D) nanocrystal functional superlattices with a well controlled structure are of significant importance in photonic, plasmonic and optoelectronic applications and have been well studied, but it remains challenging to understand the formation mechanism and development pathway of the superlattice. In this study, we employed in-situ liquid cell transmission electron microscopy to study the formation of 2D superlattice and its local phase transition from hexagonal-to-square nanocrystal ordering. When colloidal nanocrystals flowed in the solution, long-range ordered hexagonal superlattice could be formed either through shrinking and rearrangement of nanocrystal aggregates or via nanocrystal attachment. As the nanocrystals' shape transformed from truncated octahedral to cube, the local superlattice rearranged to square geometry. Moreover, our observations and quantitative analyses reveal that the phase transition from hexagonal to square mainly originates from the strong van der Waals interactions between the vertical (100) facets. The tracking of 2D cube superlattice formation in real-time could provide unique insights on the governing force of superlattice assembling and stabilization.
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