Panta Rhei - tuning silver nanostructure evolution with flow and radiolysis in liquid phase STEM
Year: 2024
Type: article
Abstract: Liquid phase (scanning) transmission electron microscopy (LP-(S)TEM) enables exploring processes down to the nanoscale. This allows to unravel degradation pathways of electrocatalysts, such as silver nanostructures, which gained attention for CO 2 upconversion. However, the nanoscale resolution in LP-TEM comes at the cost of introducing new effects such as radiolysis, and with the emergence of liquid cell systems with active mass transport, the impact of advection must be considered when evaluating the radiolytic on-site chemistry. We provide proof of a chemical environment control depending on systematically varied liquid flow velocity and dwell time at a constant dose rate. Using AgNO 3 as a probe solution, our findings show a clear dependence of nanosilver evolution on these parameters, ranging from fast growth to dissolution. This implies a change between reductive and oxidative conditions, achieved by independently adjusting volumetric flow rate or dwell time. Kinetic modeling further supports the underlying radiation chemistry. Our results illustrate that a precise understanding of flow-mediated radiation chemistry is crucial in LP-TEM and paves the way for performing controlled operando studies into materials degradation without the electron probe being the driving force.
Source: Nano Today
Authors: Andreas Körner, Birk Fritsch, A. Lucía Morales, Paolo Malgaretti, Andreas Hutzler
Language: English
Subfield: Structural Biology
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $4,690
OpenAlex ID: W4405128676