Toward sub-second solution exchange dynamics in flow reactors for liquid-phase transmission electron microscopy

Stefan Merkens (), Christopher Tollan, Giuseppe Salvo, Katarzyna Bejtka, Marco Fontana, Angelica Chiodoni, Joscha Kruse, Maiara Aime Iriarte-Alonso, Marek Grzelczak, Andreas Seifert and Andrey Chuvilin
Additional contact information
Stefan Merkens: Tolosa Hiribidea 76
Christopher Tollan: Tolosa Hiribidea 76
Giuseppe Salvo: Tolosa Hiribidea 76
Katarzyna Bejtka: Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT)
Marco Fontana: Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT)
Angelica Chiodoni: Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT)
Joscha Kruse: Tolosa Hiribidea 76
Maiara Aime Iriarte-Alonso: Tolosa Hiribidea 76
Marek Grzelczak: Paseo Manuel de Lardizabal 4
Andreas Seifert: Tolosa Hiribidea 76
Andrey Chuvilin: Tolosa Hiribidea 76

Nature Communications, 2024, vol. 15, issue 1, 1-13

Abstract: Abstract Liquid-phase transmission electron microscopy is a burgeoning experimental technique for monitoring nanoscale dynamics in a liquid environment, increasingly employing microfluidic reactors to control the composition of the sample solution. Current challenges comprise fast mass transport dynamics inside the central nanochannel of the liquid cell, typically flow cells, and reliable fixation of the specimen in the limited imaging area. In this work, we present a liquid cell concept – the diffusion cell – that satisfies these seemingly contradictory requirements by providing additional on-chip bypasses to allow high convective transport around the nanochannel in which diffusive transport predominates. Diffusion cell prototypes are developed using numerical mass transport models and fabricated on the basis of existing two-chip setups. Important hydrodynamic parameters, i.e., the total flow resistance, the flow velocity in the imaging area, and the time constants of mixing, are improved by 2-3 orders of magnitude compared to existing setups. The solution replacement dynamics achieved within seconds already match the mixing timescales of many ex-situ scenarios, and further improvements are possible. Diffusion cells can be easily integrated into existing liquid-phase transmission electron microscopy workflows, provide correlation of results with ex-situ experiments, and can create additional research directions addressing fast nanoscale processes.

Date: 2024
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-46842-3

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