New Strategies for Probing Energy Systems with In Situ Liquid-Phase Transmission Electron Microscopy

Liquid-phase transmission electron microscopy (LP-TEM) is a powerful characterization tool for probing the dynamics of nanometer-scale systems in a solvated environment. When the energetic electron beam (80–300 kV) interacts with the solvent, radiolysis occurs, generating highly reactive species that interact with the sample. While these species are often considered harmful and great efforts are taken to mitigate their influence, many of these radiolytic products, such as hydroxyl radicals and solvated electrons, are crucially relevant to several areas of energy research. In this Perspective, we propose a paradigm shift wherein solvent-derived, reactive radiolytic species generated by the electron beam are viewed as a tool for rational chemical perturbation of a material system rather than as a source of error to minimize. With an increased understanding of and control over the chemical kinetics governing the distribution of radiolytic species, LP-TEM is poised to allow for direct imaging of chemically driven, nanometer-scale dynamics, resulting in new insights into a range of energy-related materials.