Work

Optically Transparent Carbon–Silicon Nitride Windows for Correlative Structural and Electrochemical Analysis of Nanomaterials

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: High Resolution Image Download MS PowerPoint Slide We report an optically transparent carbon electrode–silicon nitride (OTCE–SiN x ) window platform fabricated through clean-room microfabrication techniques. A wafer-scale fabrication process was implemented, which enabled a batch preparation of 2925 windows (100 × 100 μm) in user-friendly configurations. Application of OTCE–SiN x windows is demonstrated in the high-resolution structural and nanoscale electrochemical characterization of nanocrystals by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and electrochemical scanning probe microscopy. High-resolution TEM (HR-TEM) and aberration-corrected high-angle annular dark-field TEM (HAADF-TEM) were achieved for nanocrystals supported on the OTCE–SiN x, with minimal background electron scattering or interference from the OTCE–SiN x . Additionally, the stability of OTCE–SiN x under prolonged voltammetric cycling was investigated. Scanning electrochemical cell microscopy (SECCM) revealed uniform nanoscale electrochemistry. Correlative electrochemical and electron microscopy on OTCE–SiN x was demonstrated for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) at clusters of sub-10 nm Au nanospheres.

Source: Analytical Chemistry

DOI: 10.1021/acs.analchem.5c01403