In situ Electron Microscopy of Complex Biological and Nanoscale Systems: Challenges and Opportunities

Frontiers in Nanotechnology ◽

10.3389/fnano.2020.606253 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 2 ◽

Author(s):

Zexiang Han ◽

Alexandra E. Porter

Keyword(s):

Electron Microscopy ◽

Great Promise ◽

Time Resolved ◽

Nanoscale Systems ◽

Electron Microscopies ◽

Challenges And Opportunities ◽

The Status ◽

Liquid Cell ◽

Time Resolved Imaging

In situ imaging for direct visualization is important for physical and biological sciences. Research endeavors into elucidating dynamic biological and nanoscale phenomena frequently necessitate in situ and time-resolved imaging. In situ liquid cell electron microscopy (LC-EM) can overcome certain limitations of conventional electron microscopies and offer great promise. This review aims to examine the status-quo and practical challenges of in situ LC-EM and its applications, and to offer insights into a novel correlative technique termed microfluidic liquid cell electron microscopy. We conclude by suggesting a few research ideas adopting microfluidic LC-EM for in situ imaging of biological and nanoscale systems.

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Fabrication of a liquid cell for in situ transmission electron microscopy

Microscopy ◽

10.1093/jmicro/dfaa076 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Xiaoguang Li ◽

Kazutaka Mitsuishi ◽

Masaki Takeguchi

Keyword(s):

Electron Microscopy ◽

Transmission Electron Microscopy ◽

Cost Effective ◽

Production Method ◽

Microscopy Imaging ◽

Transmission Electron ◽

In Situ Electron Microscopy ◽

Liquid Cell ◽

Si Wafer

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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In-situ liquid cell transmission electron microscopy guiding the design of large-sized cocatalysts coupled with ultra-small photocatalysts for highly efficient energy harvesting

Journal of Materials Chemistry A ◽

10.1039/d1ta02975d ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Chunlang Gao ◽

Chunqiang Zhuang ◽

Yuanli Li ◽

Heyang Qi ◽

Ge Chen ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Electron Microscopy ◽

Transmission Electron Microscopy ◽

Energy Harvesting ◽

Design Strategy ◽

Efficient Energy ◽

Highly Efficient ◽

Transmission Electron ◽

Cell Transmission ◽

Liquid Cell

In this study, we employed in-situ liquid cell transmission electron microscopy (LC-TEM) to carry out the new design strategy of precisely regulating the microstructure of large-sized cocatalysts for highly efficient...

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