Few-Layer Graphene as a Support Film for Transmission Electron Microscopy Imaging of Nanoparticles

2009 ◽  
Vol 1 (12) ◽  
pp. 2886-2892 ◽  
Author(s):  
James R. McBride ◽  
Andrew R. Lupini ◽  
Michael A. Schreuder ◽  
Nathanael J. Smith ◽  
Stephen J. Pennycook ◽  
...  
2010 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 194-199 ◽  
Author(s):  
Florence Nelson ◽  
Alain C. Diebold ◽  
Robert Hull

AbstractGraphene is a single layer of carbon atoms arranged in a hexagonal lattice. The high carrier mobility and mechanical robustness of single layer graphene make it an attractive material for “beyond CMOS” devices. The current work investigates through high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) image simulation the sensitivity of aberration-corrected HRTEM to the different graphene stacking configurations AAA/ABA/ABC as well as bilayers with rotational misorientations between the individual layers. High-angle annular dark field–scanning transmission electron microscopy simulation is also explored. Images calculated using the multislice approximation show discernable differences between the stacking sequences when simulated with realistic operating parameters in the presence of low random noise.


Nanomaterials ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (7) ◽  
pp. 1672
Author(s):  
Faridul Islam ◽  
Arash Tahmasebi ◽  
Rou Wang ◽  
Jianglong Yu

Metal-supported few-layer graphene (FLG) was synthesized via microwave-assisted catalytic graphitization owing to the increasing demand for it and its wide applications. In this study, we quickly converted earth-abundant and low-cost bituminous coal to FLG over Fe catalysts at a temperature of 1300 °C. X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and N2 adsorption–desorption experiments were performed to analyze the fabricated metal-supported FLG. The results indicated that the microwave-irradiation temperature at a set holding-time played a critical role in the synthesis of metal-supported FLG. The highest degree of graphitization and a well-developed pore structure were fabricated at 1300 °C using a S10% Fe catalyst for 20 min. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy analysis confirmed that the metal-supported FLG fabricated via microwave-assisted catalytic graphitization consisted of 3–6 layers of graphene nanosheets. In addition, the 2D band at 2700 cm−1 in the Raman spectrum of the fabricated metal-supported FLG samples were observed, which indicated the presence of few-layer graphene structure. Furthermore, a mechanism was proposed for the microwave-assisted catalytic graphitization of bituminous coal. Here, we developed a cost-effective and environmental friendly metal-supported FLG method using a coal-based carbonaceous material.


Microscopy ◽  
2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaoguang Li ◽  
Kazutaka Mitsuishi ◽  
Masaki Takeguchi

Abstract Liquid cell transmission electron microscopy (LCTEM) enables imaging of dynamic processes in liquid with high spatial and temporal resolution. The widely used liquid cell (LC) consists of two stacking microchips with a thin wet sample sandwiched between them. The vertically overlapped electron-transparent membrane windows on the microchips provide passage for the electron beam. However, microchips with imprecise dimensions usually cause poor alignment of the windows and difficulty in acquiring high-quality images. In this study, we developed a new and efficient microchip fabrication process for LCTEM with a large viewing area (180 µm × 40 µm) and evaluated the resultant LC. The new positioning reference marks on the surface of the Si wafer dramatically improve the precision of dicing the wafer, making it possible to accurately align the windows on two stacking microchips. The precise alignment led to a liquid thickness of 125.6 nm close to the edge of the viewing area. The performance of our LC was demonstrated by in situ transmission electron microscopy imaging of the dynamic motions of 2-nm Pt particles. This versatile and cost-effective microchip production method can be used to fabricate other types of microchips for in situ electron microscopy.


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