A technological review of In-situ TEM applied for physics, chemistry and energy researches

Abstract

Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) is an imaging and analyzing instrument which utilizes the short wavelengths of fast electrons (typically 80-300 keV) to achieve from sub-nm to the state-of-the-art sub-Å resolutions. TEM has been being used in many fields, from physics, materials science, chemistry, biomedicine to sustainable energy researches. The growing use of this instrument over recent decades has led to the development of In- situ TEM techniques which enable the live observation of microscopic processes which occurs at the nano and atomic scales. In-situ TEM refers to observing and analyzing the processes of experiments conducted inside the TEM. This means both the structures and properties of specimens during the experiment processes can be observed and recorded at the same time. Nowadays, thanks to the advances in micro-and- nanofabrication, TEM is even capable to image nanoscale processes in liquids.

This article reviews the In-situ TEM studies applied for materials science, spintronics, chemistry and energy conversion, focusing on experimental designs and imaging approaches. The results presented here are partially reproduced from the authors’ researches and from other researches in the world.