Defining the radiation chemistry during liquid cell electron microscopy to enable visualization of nanomaterial growth and degradation dynamics |
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| Authors: | T.J. WOEHL P. ABELLAN |
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| Affiliation: | 1. Material Measurement Laboratory, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Boulder, Colorado, USA;2. Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Maryland, Maryland, USABoth the authors contributed equally.;3. SuperSTEM Laboratory, SciTech Daresbury Campus, Daresbury, UKBoth the authors contributed equally. |
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| Abstract: | We present a critical review of methods for defining the chemical environment during liquid cell electron microscopy investigation of electron beam induced nanomaterial growth and degradation. We draw from the radiation chemistry and liquid cell electron microscopy literature to present solution chemistry and electron beam–based methods for selecting the radiolysis products formed and their relative amount during electron irradiation of liquid media in a transmission electron microscope. We outline various methods for establishing net oxidizing or net reducing reaction environments and propose solvents with minimal overall production of radicals under the electron beam. Exemplary liquid cell electron microscopy experiments in the fields of nanoparticle nucleation, growth, and degradation along with recommendations for best practices and experimental parameters are reported. We expect this review will provide researchers with a useful toolkit for designing general chemistry and materials science liquid cell electron microscopy experiments by ‘directing’ the effect of the electron beam to understand fundamental mechanisms of dynamic nanoscale processes as well as minimizing radiation damage to samples. |
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| Keywords: | In situ electron microscopy liquid cell electron microscopy nucleation radiation chemistry radiolysis scanning transmission electron microscopy transmission electron microscopy |
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