Tracking single adatoms in liquid in a transmission electron microscope

Nick Clark, Daniel J. Kelly, Mingwei Zhou, Yi-Chao Zou, Chang Woo Myung, David G. Hopkinson, Christoph Schran, Angelos Michaelides, Roman Gorbachev () and Sarah J. Haigh ()
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Nick Clark: University of Manchester
Daniel J. Kelly: University of Manchester
Mingwei Zhou: University of Manchester
Yi-Chao Zou: University of Manchester
Chang Woo Myung: University of Cambridge
David G. Hopkinson: University of Manchester
Christoph Schran: University of Cambridge
Angelos Michaelides: University of Cambridge
Roman Gorbachev: University of Manchester
Sarah J. Haigh: University of Manchester

Nature, 2022, vol. 609, issue 7929, 942-947

Abstract: Abstract Single atoms or ions on surfaces affect processes from nucleation1 to electrochemical reactions2 and heterogeneous catalysis3. Transmission electron microscopy is a leading approach for visualizing single atoms on a variety of substrates4,5. It conventionally requires high vacuum conditions, but has been developed for in situ imaging in liquid and gaseous environments6,7 with a combined spatial and temporal resolution that is unmatched by any other method—notwithstanding concerns about electron-beam effects on samples. When imaging in liquid using commercial technologies, electron scattering in the windows enclosing the sample and in the liquid generally limits the achievable resolution to a few nanometres6,8,9. Graphene liquid cells, on the other hand, have enabled atomic-resolution imaging of metal nanoparticles in liquids10. Here we show that a double graphene liquid cell, consisting of a central molybdenum disulfide monolayer separated by hexagonal boron nitride spacers from the two enclosing graphene windows, makes it possible to monitor, with atomic resolution, the dynamics of platinum adatoms on the monolayer in an aqueous salt solution. By imaging more than 70,000 single adatom adsorption sites, we compare the site preference and dynamic motion of the adatoms in both a fully hydrated and a vacuum state. We find a modified adsorption site distribution and higher diffusivities for the adatoms in the liquid phase compared with those in vacuum. This approach paves the way for in situ liquid-phase imaging of chemical processes with single-atom precision.

Date: 2022
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DOI: 10.1038/s41586-022-05130-0

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