In Situ TEM Imaging of Solution-Phase Chemical Reactions Using 2D-Heterostructure Mixing Cells.

Autor: Kelly DJ; Department of Materials and National Graphene Institute, University of Manchester, Manchester, M13 9PL, UK., Clark N; Department of Materials and National Graphene Institute, University of Manchester, Manchester, M13 9PL, UK., Zhou M; Department of Physics and Astronomy and National Graphene Institute, University of Manchester, Manchester, M13 9PL, UK., Gebauer D; Institute of Inorganic Chemistry, Leibniz Universität Hannover, Callinstr. 9, 30167, Hannover, Germany., Gorbachev RV; Department of Physics and Astronomy and National Graphene Institute, University of Manchester, Manchester, M13 9PL, UK., Haigh SJ; Department of Materials and National Graphene Institute, University of Manchester, Manchester, M13 9PL, UK.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: Advanced materials (Deerfield Beach, Fla.) [Adv Mater] 2021 Jul; Vol. 33 (29), pp. e2100668. Date of Electronic Publication: 2021 Jun 09.
DOI: 10.1002/adma.202100668
Abstrakt: Liquid-phase transmission electron microscopy is used to study a wide range of chemical processes, where its unique combination of spatial and temporal resolution provides countless insights into nanoscale reaction dynamics. However, achieving sub-nanometer resolution has proved difficult due to limitations in the current liquid cell designs. Here, a novel experimental platform for in situ mixing using a specially developed 2D heterostructure-based liquid cell is presented. The technique facilitates in situ atomic resolution imaging and elemental analysis, with mixing achieved within the immediate viewing area via controllable nanofracture of an atomically thin separation membrane. This novel technique is used to investigate the time evolution of calcium carbonate synthesis, from the earliest stages of nanodroplet precursors to crystalline calcite in a single experiment. The observations provide the first direct visual confirmation of the recently developed liquid-liquid phase separation theory, while the technological advancements open an avenue for many other studies of early stage solution-phase reactions of great interest for both the exploration of fundamental science and developing applications.
(© 2021 The Authors. Advanced Materials published by Wiley-VCH GmbH.)
Databáze: MEDLINE
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