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In Situ Monitoring of Copper Benzenehexathiol Coordination Polymer Formation via High-Resolution Liquid-Cell Transmission Electron Microscopy

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: High Resolution Image Download MS PowerPoint Slide Liquid-cell transmission electron microscopy (LC-TEM) represents a promising technique for obtaining detailed knowledge about crystal nucleation and growth. For conjugated coordination polymer (c-CP) crystals, which are constructed by linking conjugated organic ligands with metal nodes, the growth mechanism remains poorly understood, making LC-TEM an ideal method to fill this gap. However, the general low stability of these materials under the electron beam has hindered high-resolution experiments. Here, we overcome this obstacle and demonstrate high-resolution LC-TEM experiments for the growth of a copper-linked benzenehexathiol (BHT) c-CP. Surprisingly, the synthesis led to the formation of Cu 4 (BHT) instead of the expected Cu 3 (BHT), which is found in corresponding ex-situ experiments. We attribute the formation of different structures in ex-situ and in situ experiments to radiolysis occurring during the interaction of the electron beam with the solutions inside the liquid cell, as well as the restrictions dictated by the laminar flow in the microfluidic system.

Source: Crystal Growth & Design

DOI: 10.1021/acs.cgd.4c01714

Authors: David Mücke, Zhiyong Wang, Xinliang Feng, Ute Kaiser

Institutions: Universität Ulm, Max Planck Institute of Microstructure Physics, Center for Advancing Electronics Dresden, Technische Universität Dresden

Language: English

Topic: Advanced Electron Microscopy Techniques and Applications

Subfield: Structural Biology

Field: Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology

Domain: Life Sciences

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $4,500

Funder: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft