Efficient preparation of graphene liquid cell utilizing direct transfer with large-area well-stitched graphene

Sasaki, Yuki; Kitaura, Ryo; Yuk, Jong Min; Zettl, A.; Shinohara, Hisanori

doi:10.1016/j.cplett.2016.02.066

Cited by 33 publications

(33 citation statements)

References 42 publications

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“…The bright spot in the bottom right corner of STEM image is believed to be copper remnant on the outer surface of graphene from the GLC fabrication procedure (Supplementary Figure S1). 36 The absence of copper and/or salt contaminations in the sampling area was confirmed by acquiring EELS core-loss signal across the sample (Supplementary Figure S2). The low-loss EELS spectra of empty cell (dry graphene layers) and GLC (graphene layers + water) shown in Figure 1c were acquired separately from designated colored spots in Figure 1b.…”

mentioning

confidence: 90%

Assessment of Pressure and Density of Confined Water in Graphene Liquid Cells

Ghodsi

Sharifi‐Asl

Řehák

et al. 2020

Adv Materials Inter

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Understanding the behavior of confined matter within layered van der Waals (vdW) materials is complicated due to interplay of various forces including the VdW interaction between the interlayers, the interaction of layers with the matter, and the bending strain energy of the layers to accommodate encapsulation. Herein, we report a new insight on the magnitude of pressure and the density of water entrapped within confined spaces in VdW materials. While the possibility of housing high-pressure environments in the space separating a VdW material and a hard substrate has been reported previously, this is the first study on the thermodynamic state of liquids entrapped between VdW substrate interlayers. This was accomplished by replacing the hard substrate with another VdW material and studying the plasmon excitation of water encapsulated between two sheets of graphene membranes in an aberration-corrected scanning transmission electron microscope. Our results indicate ~12% maximum increase in the density of water upon tight graphene encasement where the pressure as high as 400 MPa is expected. The pressure estimation from the theoretical analysis considering the effect of VdW forces, Laplace pressure and strain energy is in agreement with the experimental results. Our analysis also reveals that graphene strain energy and graphene interlayer VdW effects are the major contributors to the pressure escalation in the graphene-encased water, followed by the Laplace pressure arising from the contact line between water and graphene. Moreover, molecular dynamics simulations of water-filled graphene liquid cells are in a good agreement with our analytical calculations. The findings of this work open new opportunities to explore the local physical state of not only water but also other liquid and materials under high pressure environment with imaging and analytical resolutions never achieved before.

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confidence: 90%

Assessment of Pressure and Density of Confined Water in Graphene Liquid Cells

Ghodsi

Sharifi‐Asl

Řehák

et al. 2020

Adv Materials Inter

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“…Moreover, the interplay of surface tension between the two water phases (the droplet on the grid and the water underneath the second graphene sheet) causes local water turbulence. For these reasons, the approach yields a highly ruptured and crumbled second graphene layer, even if multilayer or monocrystalline graphene are used . Graphene deposited by the LAT and the touch‐down method onto a paper substrate reveal the difference in surface coverage between both methods (Figure f,g).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In the touch‐down method, the specimen liquid can be added as a droplet to the grid, or be sprayed as micro‐droplets onto either graphene layer. The latter approach has been shown to render large area intact graphene …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Graphene Liquid Cells Assembled through Loop‐Assisted Transfer Method and Located with Correlated Light‐Electron Microscopy

Deursen

Koning

Tudor

et al. 2020

Adv Funct Materials

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Graphene liquid cells (GLCs) for transmission electron microscopy (TEM) enable high‐resolution, real‐time imaging of dynamic processes in water. Large‐scale implementation, however, is prevented by major difficulties in reproducing GLC fabrication. Here, a high‐yield method is presented to fabricate GLCs under millimeter areas of continuous graphene, facilitating efficient GLC formation on a TEM grid. Additionally, GLCs are located on the grid using correlated light‐electron microscopy (CLEM), which reduces beam damage by limiting electron exposure time. CLEM allows the acquisition of reliable statistics and the investigation of the most common shapes of GLCs. In particular, a novel type of liquid cell is found, formed from only a single graphene sheet, greatly simplifying the fabrication process. The methods presented in this work—particularly the reproducibility and simplicity of fabrication—will enable future application of GLCs for high‐resolution dynamic imaging of biomolecular systems.

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“…GLC is prepared by either direct graphene transfer on a grid or a direct grid‐on‐grid sandwiching technique ( Figure ) . In the case of direct transfer, freestanding graphene is scooped with a TEM grid to obtain graphene‐coated grids.…”

Section: Glc Fabrication Techniquesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Advances in Graphene‐Based Liquid Cell Electron Microscopy: Working Principles, Opportunities, and Challenges

2019

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Imaging materials and biological structures in a liquid environment pose a significant challenge for conventional transmission electron microscopy (TEM) due to stringent requirement of ultrahigh vacuum design in the microscope column. The most recent liquid‐cell TEM technique, graphene liquid‐cell (GLC) microscopy, employs only layers of graphene to encapsulate liquid specimens. Recent efforts with GLC–TEM have demonstrated superior imaging resolution of beam‐sensitive specimens. Herein, the parameters that affect the quality of GLC analysis, including the graphene transfer onto TEM grids, are reviewed. Several important factors that affect the in situ TEM imaging of specimens, including the variations in GLC geometries and capillary pressure are discussed. The interaction between the electron beam and the liquid along with the possibility for artifacts or the formation of radical ions is also highlighted in this review. The scientific discoveries enabled by GLC–TEM in the areas of nucleation and growth of crystals, corrosion, battery science, as well as high‐resolution imaging of organelles and proteins are also briefly discussed. Finally, possible future research directions of GLC–TEM and the associated challenges are discussed. The synergistic effort to accomplish the proposed research directions has the potential to yield new discoveries in both materials and life sciences.

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Efficient preparation of graphene liquid cell utilizing direct transfer with large-area well-stitched graphene

Cited by 33 publications

References 42 publications

Assessment of Pressure and Density of Confined Water in Graphene Liquid Cells

Assessment of Pressure and Density of Confined Water in Graphene Liquid Cells

Graphene Liquid Cells Assembled through Loop‐Assisted Transfer Method and Located with Correlated Light‐Electron Microscopy

Advances in Graphene‐Based Liquid Cell Electron Microscopy: Working Principles, Opportunities, and Challenges

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