Nanometer Resolution Elemental Mapping in Graphene-based TEM Liquid Cells

Daniel Kelly; Mingwei Zhou; Nicholas Clark; Matthew Hamer; Edward Lewis; Alexander Rakowski; Sarah Haigh; Roman Gorbachev

doi:10.1021/acs.nanolett.7b04713

Nanometer Resolution Elemental Mapping in Graphene-based TEM Liquid Cells

Daniel Kelly, Mingwei Zhou, Nicholas Clark, Matthew Hamer, Edward Lewis, Alexander Rakowski, Sarah Haigh, Roman Gorbachev

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

We demonstrate a new design of graphene liquid cell consisting of a thin lithographically patterned hexagonal boron nitride crystal encapsulated from both sides with graphene windows. The ultra-thin window liquid cells produced have precisely controlled volumes and thicknesses, and are robust to repeated vacuum cycling. This technology enables exciting new opportunities for liquid cell studies, providing a reliable platform for high resolution transmission electron microscope imaging and spectral mapping. The presence of water was confirmed using electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS) via the detection of the oxygen K-edge and measuring the thickness of full and empty cells. We demonstrate the imaging capabilities of these liquid cells by tracking the dynamic motion and interactions of small metal nanoparticles with diameters of 0.5-5 nm. We further present an order of magnitude improvement in the analytical capabilities compared to previous liquid cell data, with 1 nm spatial resolution elemental mapping achievable for liquid encapsulated bimetallic nanoparticles using energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDXS).

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	1168-1174
Number of pages	7
Journal	Nano Letters
Volume	18
Issue number	2
Early online date	11 Jan 2018
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.nanolett.7b04713
Publication status	Published - 11 Jan 2018

Keywords

EDX spectrum imaging
in situ TEM
graphene liquid cells
nanoparticles
Van der Waals heterostructures

Research Beacons, Institutes and Platforms

National Graphene Institute

Access to Document

10.1021/acs.nanolett.7b04713

Cite this

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title = "Nanometer Resolution Elemental Mapping in Graphene-based TEM Liquid Cells",

abstract = "We demonstrate a new design of graphene liquid cell consisting of a thin lithographically patterned hexagonal boron nitride crystal encapsulated from both sides with graphene windows. The ultra-thin window liquid cells produced have precisely controlled volumes and thicknesses, and are robust to repeated vacuum cycling. This technology enables exciting new opportunities for liquid cell studies, providing a reliable platform for high resolution transmission electron microscope imaging and spectral mapping. The presence of water was confirmed using electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS) via the detection of the oxygen K-edge and measuring the thickness of full and empty cells. We demonstrate the imaging capabilities of these liquid cells by tracking the dynamic motion and interactions of small metal nanoparticles with diameters of 0.5-5 nm. We further present an order of magnitude improvement in the analytical capabilities compared to previous liquid cell data, with 1 nm spatial resolution elemental mapping achievable for liquid encapsulated bimetallic nanoparticles using energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDXS).",

keywords = "EDX spectrum imaging , in situ TEM , graphene liquid cells , nanoparticles , Van der Waals heterostructures",

author = "Daniel Kelly and Mingwei Zhou and Nicholas Clark and Matthew Hamer and Edward Lewis and Alexander Rakowski and Sarah Haigh and Roman Gorbachev",

note = "Funding Information: The authors acknowledge funding support from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) UK Grants \# EP/G035954/1, EP/K016946/1, EP/M010619/1 and EP/ J021172/1, the EPSRC Graphene NowNano Doctoral Training center, Defense Threat Reduction Agency grant HDTRA1-12-1-0013 and the Royal Society University Research Fellowship Scheme. This project has received funding from the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union{\textquoteright}s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme (Grant Agreement ERC-2016-STG-EvoluTEM-715502). Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2018 American Chemical Society. Copyright: Copyright 2018 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.",

year = "2018",

month = jan,

day = "11",

doi = "10.1021/acs.nanolett.7b04713",

language = "English",

volume = "18",

pages = "1168--1174",

journal = "Nano Letters",

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AU - Kelly, Daniel

AU - Zhou, Mingwei

AU - Clark, Nicholas

AU - Hamer, Matthew

AU - Lewis, Edward

AU - Rakowski, Alexander

AU - Haigh, Sarah

AU - Gorbachev, Roman

N1 - Funding Information: The authors acknowledge funding support from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) UK Grants # EP/G035954/1, EP/K016946/1, EP/M010619/1 and EP/ J021172/1, the EPSRC Graphene NowNano Doctoral Training center, Defense Threat Reduction Agency grant HDTRA1-12-1-0013 and the Royal Society University Research Fellowship Scheme. This project has received funding from the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme (Grant Agreement ERC-2016-STG-EvoluTEM-715502). Publisher Copyright: © 2018 American Chemical Society. Copyright: Copyright 2018 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.

PY - 2018/1/11

Y1 - 2018/1/11

N2 - We demonstrate a new design of graphene liquid cell consisting of a thin lithographically patterned hexagonal boron nitride crystal encapsulated from both sides with graphene windows. The ultra-thin window liquid cells produced have precisely controlled volumes and thicknesses, and are robust to repeated vacuum cycling. This technology enables exciting new opportunities for liquid cell studies, providing a reliable platform for high resolution transmission electron microscope imaging and spectral mapping. The presence of water was confirmed using electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS) via the detection of the oxygen K-edge and measuring the thickness of full and empty cells. We demonstrate the imaging capabilities of these liquid cells by tracking the dynamic motion and interactions of small metal nanoparticles with diameters of 0.5-5 nm. We further present an order of magnitude improvement in the analytical capabilities compared to previous liquid cell data, with 1 nm spatial resolution elemental mapping achievable for liquid encapsulated bimetallic nanoparticles using energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDXS).

AB - We demonstrate a new design of graphene liquid cell consisting of a thin lithographically patterned hexagonal boron nitride crystal encapsulated from both sides with graphene windows. The ultra-thin window liquid cells produced have precisely controlled volumes and thicknesses, and are robust to repeated vacuum cycling. This technology enables exciting new opportunities for liquid cell studies, providing a reliable platform for high resolution transmission electron microscope imaging and spectral mapping. The presence of water was confirmed using electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS) via the detection of the oxygen K-edge and measuring the thickness of full and empty cells. We demonstrate the imaging capabilities of these liquid cells by tracking the dynamic motion and interactions of small metal nanoparticles with diameters of 0.5-5 nm. We further present an order of magnitude improvement in the analytical capabilities compared to previous liquid cell data, with 1 nm spatial resolution elemental mapping achievable for liquid encapsulated bimetallic nanoparticles using energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDXS).

KW - EDX spectrum imaging

KW - in situ TEM

KW - graphene liquid cells

KW - nanoparticles

KW - Van der Waals heterostructures

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U2 - 10.1021/acs.nanolett.7b04713

DO - 10.1021/acs.nanolett.7b04713

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JO - Nano Letters

JF - Nano Letters

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ER -

Nanometer Resolution Elemental Mapping in Graphene-based TEM Liquid Cells

Abstract

Keywords

Research Beacons, Institutes and Platforms

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Next Generation Multi-Dimensional X-ray Imaging

Graphene-based membranes

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Nanometer Resolution Elemental Mapping in Graphene-based TEM Liquid Cells

Abstract

Keywords

Research Beacons, Institutes and Platforms

Access to Document

Other files and links

Fingerprint

Projects

Next Generation Multi-Dimensional X-ray Imaging

Graphene-based membranes

Cite this