Studying Reaction Mechanisms in Solution Using a Distributed Electron Microscopy Method

Electron microscopy (EM) of materials undergoing chemical reactions provides knowledge of the underlying mechanisms. However, the mechanisms are often complex and cannot be fully resolved using a single method. Here, we present a distributed electron microscopy method for studying complex reactions....

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:ACS nano 2021-06, Vol.15 (6), p.10296-10308
Main Authors: Wu, Hanglong, Li, Teng, Maddala, Sai P, Khalil, Zafeiris J, Joosten, Rick R. M, Mezari, Brahim, Hensen, Emiel J. M, de With, Gijsbertus, Friedrich, Heiner, van Bokhoven, Jeroen A, Patterson, Joseph P
Format: Article
Language:English
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Summary:Electron microscopy (EM) of materials undergoing chemical reactions provides knowledge of the underlying mechanisms. However, the mechanisms are often complex and cannot be fully resolved using a single method. Here, we present a distributed electron microscopy method for studying complex reactions. The method combines information from multiple stages of the reaction and from multiple EM methods, including liquid phase EM (LP-EM), cryogenic EM (cryo-EM), and cryo-electron tomography (cryo-ET). We demonstrate this method by studying the desilication mechanism of zeolite crystals. Collectively, our data reveal that the reaction proceeds via a two-step anisotropic etching process and that the defects in curved surfaces and between the subunits in the crystal control the desilication kinetics by directing mass transport.
ISSN:1936-0851
1936-086X
DOI:10.1021/acsnano.1c02461