In-situ Heating-and-electron Tomography for Materials Research: from 3D (in-situ 2D) to 4D (in-situ 3D)

Overview

Journal Microscopy (Oxf)

Publisher Oxford University Press

Specialty Radiology

Date 2024 Mar 11

PMID 38462986

Authors

Satoshi Hata

Shiro Ihara

Hikaru Saito

Mitsuhiro Murayama

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

In-situ observation has expanded the application of transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and has made a significant contribution to materials research and development for energy, biomedical, quantum, etc. Recent technological developments related to in-situ TEM have empowered the incorporation of three-dimensional observation, which was previously considered incompatible. In this review article, we take up heating as the most commonly used external stimulus for in-situ TEM observation and overview recent in-situ TEM studies. Then, we focus on the electron tomography (ET) and in-situ heating combined observation by introducing the authors' recent research as an example. Assuming that in-situ heating observation is expanded from two dimensions to three dimensions using a conventional TEM apparatus and a commercially available in-situ heating specimen holder, the following in-situ heating-and-ET observation procedure is proposed: (i) use a rapid heating-and-cooling function of a micro-electro-mechanical system holder; (ii) heat and cool the specimen intermittently and (iii) acquire a tilt-series dataset when the specimen heating is stopped. This procedure is not too technically challenging and can have a wide range of applications. Essential technical points for a successful 4D (space and time) observation will be discussed through reviewing the authors' example application.

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