A Universal Nano-capillary Based Method of Catalyst Immobilization for Liquid-Cell Transmission Electron Microscopy.
A universal nano-capillary based method for sample deposition on the silicon nitride membrane of liquid-cell transmission electron microscopy (LCTEM) chips is demonstrated. It is applicable to all substances which can be dispersed in a solvent and are suitable for drop casting, including catalysts, biological samples, and polymers. Most importantly, this method overcomes limitations concerning sample immobilization due to the fragility of the ultra-thin silicon nitride membrane required for electron transmission. Thus, a straightforward way is presented to widen the research area of LCTEM to encompass any sample which can be externally deposited beforehand. Using this method, Nix B nanoparticles are deposited on the μm-scale working electrode of the LCTEM chip and in situ observation of single catalyst particles during ethanol oxidation is for the first time successfully monitored by means of TEM movies.
['Tarnev|Tsvetan|T|0000-0002-5203-3651', 'Cychy|Steffen|S|', 'Andronescu|Corina|C|0000-0002-1227-1209', 'Muhler|Martin|M|0000-0001-5343-6922', 'Schuhmann|Wolfgang|W|0000-0003-2916-5223', 'Chen|Yen-Ting|YT|0000-0001-6451-6733']
ethanol oxidation electrocatalysis liquid-cell TEM nano electrochemistry nickel boride