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Microscopy & Imaging JoVE (Open Access) Citable · DOI

Using Graphene Liquid Cell Transmission Electron Microscopy to Study in Situ Nanocrystal Etching

DOI: 10.3791/57665-v
What you'll learn
  • ✓ Prepare graphene-coated TEM grids for liquid cell electron microscopy
  • ✓ Assemble and load nanocrystal samples into graphene liquid cell pockets
  • ✓ Image nanocrystal etching dynamics in situ using transmission electron microscopy
  • ✓ Interpret nanoparticle transformation trajectories from real-time TEM observations
Protocol

Graphene liquid cell electron microscopy can be used to observe nanocrystal dynamics in a liquid environment with greater spatial resolution than other liquid cell electron microscopy techniques. Etching premade nanocrystals and following their shape using graphene liquid cell Transmission Electron Microscopy can yield important mechanistic information about nanoparticle transformations.

Difficulty
advanced
Total time
~3–4 hours per sample (grid preparation ~1 hr, cell assembly ~30 min, imaging and analysis ~1.5–2 hrs)

Steps

1
Prepare graphene-coated transmission electron microscopy grids

Coat TEM grids with graphene layers to serve as confining membranes for the liquid cell. This creates the foundation for encapsulating nanocrystals in a thin liquid environment while maintaining high spatial resolution during imaging.

▶ 00:47
2
Assemble liquid cell pockets on graphene grids

Construct the graphene liquid cell pocket by carefully stacking and sealing graphene-coated grids with precise spacing to create a confined compartment. This pocket will hold the nanocrystal sample and etching medium during electron microscopy.

▶ 03:08
3
Load nanocrystal sample and initiate imaging

Inject the nanocrystal suspension into the sealed graphene liquid cell pocket and mount it in the transmission electron microscope. Align and focus the sample for real-time observation of nanocrystal dynamics in the liquid environment.

▶ 04:28
4
Observe and record nanocrystal etching trajectories

Capture time-series TEM images documenting the shape evolution and etching pathways of metallic nanocrystals in liquid. Real-time visualization reveals mechanistic details of nanoparticle transformation under controlled etching conditions.

▶ 05:13
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