Environmental Liquid Cell Technique for Improved Electron Microscopic Imaging of Soft Matter in Solution
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Environmental Liquid Cell Technique for Improved Electron Microscopic Imaging of Soft Matter in Solution. / Azim, Sana; Bultema, Lindsey A; de Kock, Michiel B; Osorio-Blanco, Ernesto Rafael; Calderón, Marcelo; Gonschior, Josef; Leimkohl, Jan-Philipp; Tellkamp, Friedjof; Bücker, Robert; Schulz, Eike C; Keskin, Sercan; de Jonge, Niels; Kassier, Günther H; Miller, R J Dwayne.
in: MICROSC MICROANAL, Jahrgang 27, Nr. 1, 02.2021, S. 44-53.Publikationen: SCORING: Beitrag in Fachzeitschrift/Zeitung › SCORING: Zeitschriftenaufsatz › Forschung › Begutachtung
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TY - JOUR
T1 - Environmental Liquid Cell Technique for Improved Electron Microscopic Imaging of Soft Matter in Solution
AU - Azim, Sana
AU - Bultema, Lindsey A
AU - de Kock, Michiel B
AU - Osorio-Blanco, Ernesto Rafael
AU - Calderón, Marcelo
AU - Gonschior, Josef
AU - Leimkohl, Jan-Philipp
AU - Tellkamp, Friedjof
AU - Bücker, Robert
AU - Schulz, Eike C
AU - Keskin, Sercan
AU - de Jonge, Niels
AU - Kassier, Günther H
AU - Miller, R J Dwayne
PY - 2021/2
Y1 - 2021/2
N2 - Liquid-phase transmission electron microscopy is a technique for simultaneous imaging of the structure and dynamics of specimens in a liquid environment. The conventional sample geometry consists of a liquid layer tightly sandwiched between two Si3N4 windows with a nominal spacing on the order of 0.5 μm. We describe a variation of the conventional approach, wherein the Si3N4 windows are separated by a 10-μm-thick spacer, thus providing room for gas flow inside the liquid specimen enclosure. Adjusting the pressure and flow speed of humid air inside this environmental liquid cell (ELC) creates a stable liquid layer of controllable thickness on the bottom window, thus facilitating high-resolution observations of low mass-thickness contrast objects at low electron doses. We demonstrate controllable liquid thicknesses in the range 160 ± 34 to 340 ± 71 nm resulting in corresponding edge resolutions of 0.8 ± 0.06 to 1.7 ± 0.8 nm as measured for immersed gold nanoparticles. Liquid layer thickness 40 ± 8 nm allowed imaging of low-contrast polystyrene particles. Hydration effects in the ELC have been studied using poly-N-isopropylacrylamide nanogels with a silica core. Therefore, ELC can be a suitable tool for in situ investigations of liquid specimens.
AB - Liquid-phase transmission electron microscopy is a technique for simultaneous imaging of the structure and dynamics of specimens in a liquid environment. The conventional sample geometry consists of a liquid layer tightly sandwiched between two Si3N4 windows with a nominal spacing on the order of 0.5 μm. We describe a variation of the conventional approach, wherein the Si3N4 windows are separated by a 10-μm-thick spacer, thus providing room for gas flow inside the liquid specimen enclosure. Adjusting the pressure and flow speed of humid air inside this environmental liquid cell (ELC) creates a stable liquid layer of controllable thickness on the bottom window, thus facilitating high-resolution observations of low mass-thickness contrast objects at low electron doses. We demonstrate controllable liquid thicknesses in the range 160 ± 34 to 340 ± 71 nm resulting in corresponding edge resolutions of 0.8 ± 0.06 to 1.7 ± 0.8 nm as measured for immersed gold nanoparticles. Liquid layer thickness 40 ± 8 nm allowed imaging of low-contrast polystyrene particles. Hydration effects in the ELC have been studied using poly-N-isopropylacrylamide nanogels with a silica core. Therefore, ELC can be a suitable tool for in situ investigations of liquid specimens.
U2 - 10.1017/S1431927620024654
DO - 10.1017/S1431927620024654
M3 - SCORING: Journal article
C2 - 33280632
VL - 27
SP - 44
EP - 53
JO - MICROSC MICROANAL
JF - MICROSC MICROANAL
SN - 1431-9276
IS - 1
ER -
