Figure 1. Newly delivered liquid cell transmission electron microscopy holder with potentionstat and MEMS chips.

New Liquid Cell TEM Holder Enhances Electrochemical Research at Lund University

Lund University has recently received a state-of-the-art liquid cell transmission electron microscopy (TEM) holder designed for electrochemical studies in solution. Since conventional TEM operates under vacuum, specialized holders are required to accommodate liquid samples. This new holder—manufactured by Hitachi High-Tech—uses two microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) chips with an O-ring sandwiched between them. The chips feature thin, electron-transparent windows that confine the liquid sample between them.

The holder also includes tubing that allows liquid to flow through the MEMS stack, and it supports integration of electrodes and electrical contacts. This enables real-time observation of electrochemical reactions at the nanoscale. With a broad selection of MEMS chips available from Norcada, the system will be used in research areas such as battery materials, hydrogen and oxygen evolution reactions, and potentially in physico-chemical studies of protein aggregation.

At Lund University, nCHREM (National Center for High Resolution Electron Microscopy) leads the in situ chemistry module within ARTEMI. This module focuses on dynamic imaging and spectroscopy of reactions in solid and liquid materials under reactive environments. nCHREM already hosts a world-unique environmental TEM (ETEM) system connected to a gas handling setup for chemical vapor deposition of III-V semiconductors. The addition of the liquid cell TEM holder with electrochemical capabilities now extends this expertise to include in situ studies of samples in solution.