Nanometer Resolution Elemental Mapping in Graphene-Based TEM Liquid Cells

Overview

Journal Nano Lett

Publisher American Chemical Society

Specialty Biotechnology

Date 2018 Jan 12

PMID 29323499

Citations 21

Authors

Daniel J Kelly

Mingwei Zhou

Nick Clark

Matthew J Hamer

Edward A Lewis

Alexander M Rakowski

Sarah J Haigh

Roman V Gorbachev

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

We demonstrate a new design of graphene liquid cell consisting of a thin lithographically patterned hexagonal boron nitride crystal encapsulated on both sides with graphene windows. The ultrathin window liquid cells produced have precisely controlled volumes and thicknesses and are robust to repeated vacuum cycling. This technology enables exciting new opportunities for liquid cell studies, providing a reliable platform for high resolution transmission electron microscope imaging and spectral mapping. The presence of water was confirmed using electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS) via the detection of the oxygen K-edge and measuring the thickness of full and empty cells. We demonstrate the imaging capabilities of these liquid cells by tracking the dynamic motion and interactions of small metal nanoparticles with diameters of 0.5-5 nm. We further present an order of magnitude improvement in the analytical capabilities compared to previous liquid cell data with 1 nm spatial resolution elemental mapping achievable for liquid encapsulated bimetallic nanoparticles using energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDXS).

Citing Articles

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