Preparation of Graphene-Supported Microwell Liquid Cells for In Situ Transmission Electron Microscopy

Hutzler A, Fritsch B, Jank MPM, Branscheid R, Spiecker E, März M (2019)

Publication Language: English

Publication Type: Journal article, Original article

Publication year: 2019

Journal

Journal of Visualized Experiments MYJoVE Corporation

Article Number: e59751

Journal Issue: 149

URI: https://www.jove.com/video/59751/preparation-graphene-supported-microwell-liquid-cells-for-situ?status=a61757k

DOI: 10.3791/59751

Open Access Link: https://www.jove.com/video/59751/preparation-graphene-supported-microwell-liquid-cells-for-situ?status=a61757k

Abstract

The fabrication and preparation of graphene-supported microwell liquid cells (GSMLCs) for in situ electron microscopy is presented in a stepwise protocol. The versatility of the GSMLCs is demonstrated in the context of a study about etching and growth dynamics of gold nanostructures from a HAuCl4 precursor solution. GSMLCs combine the advantages of conventional silicon- and graphene-based liquid cells by offering reproducible well depths together with facile cell manufacturing and handling of the specimen under investigation. The GSMLCs are fabricated on a single silicon substrate which drastically reduces the complexity of the manufacturing process compared to two-wafer-based liquid cell designs. Here, no bonding or alignment process steps are required. Furthermore, the enclosed liquid volume can be tailored to the respective experimental requirements by simply adjusting the thickness of a silicon nitride layer. This enables a significant reduction of window bulging in the electron microscope vacuum. Finally, a state-of-the-art quantitative evaluation of single particle tracking and dendrite formation in liquid cell experiments using only open source software is presented.

Authors with CRIS profile

Andreas Hutzler Lehrstuhl für Elektronische Bauelemente Birk Fritsch Lehrstuhl für Elektronische Bauelemente Robert Branscheid Lehrstuhl für Werkstoffwissenschaften (Mikro- und Nanostrukturforschung) Erdmann Spiecker Lehrstuhl für Werkstoffwissenschaften (Mikro- und Nanostrukturforschung) Martin März Lehrstuhl für Leistungselektronik (LEE)

Additional Organisation(s)

Lehrstuhl für Leistungselektronik (LEE) Graduiertenkolleg 1896/2 In situ Mikroskopie mit Elektronen, Röntgenstrahlen und Rastersonden Lehrstuhl für Werkstoffwissenschaften (Mikro- und Nanostrukturforschung) Interdisziplinäres Zentrum, Center for Nanoanalysis and Electron Microscopy (CENEM)

Related research project(s)

Growth and stability of anisotropic nanoparticles in liquids (GRK1896-A2) In-situ Characterization of Nanomaterials with Electrons, X-rays/Neutrons and Scanning Probes (GRK 1896) Oct. 1, 2013 - Sept. 30, 2022 In-situ Characterization of Nanomaterials with Electrons, X-rays/Neutrons and Scanning Probes (GRK 1896) Oct. 1, 2013 - Sept. 30, 2022

Involved external institutions

Fraunhofer-Institut für Integrierte Systeme und Bauelementetechnologie (IISB) DE Germany (DE)

How to cite

APA:

Hutzler, A., Fritsch, B., Jank, M.P.M., Branscheid, R., Spiecker, E., & März, M. (2019). Preparation of Graphene-Supported Microwell Liquid Cells for In Situ Transmission Electron Microscopy. Journal of Visualized Experiments, 149. https://doi.org/10.3791/59751

MLA:

Hutzler, Andreas, et al. "Preparation of Graphene-Supported Microwell Liquid Cells for In Situ Transmission Electron Microscopy." Journal of Visualized Experiments 149 (2019).

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