In Situ Transmission Electron Microscopy Study of Bubble Behavior Near the Surface of Ice Crystals by Using a Liquid Cell With a Peltier Cooling Holder

Tomoya Yamazaki; Yuga Yashima; Hiroyasu Katsuno; Hiroya Miyazaki; Takashi Gondo; Yuki Kimura

doi:10.1093/micmic/ozad112

In Situ Transmission Electron Microscopy Study of Bubble Behavior Near the Surface of Ice Crystals by Using a Liquid Cell With a Peltier Cooling Holder

Microsc Microanal. 2023 Dec 21;29(6):1940-1949. doi: 10.1093/micmic/ozad112.

Authors

Tomoya Yamazaki¹, Yuga Yashima¹, Hiroyasu Katsuno¹, Hiroya Miyazaki², Takashi Gondo², Yuki Kimura¹

Affiliations

¹ Institute of Low Temperature Science, Hokkaido University, Kita-19, Nishi-8, Kita-ku, Sapporo 060-0819, Japan.
² Mel-Build Corporation, 2-11-36, Ishimaru, Nishi-ku, Fukuoka 819-0025, Japan.

PMID: 37851094
DOI: 10.1093/micmic/ozad112

Abstract

Liquid cell transmission electron microscopy (LC-TEM) is a unique technique that permits in situ observations of various phenomena in liquids with high spatial and temporal resolutions. One difficulty with this technique is the control of the environmental conditions in the observation area. Control of the temperature ranging from room temperature to minus several tens of degrees Celsius, is desirable for controlling the supersaturation in various materials and for observing crystallization more easily. We have developed a cooling transmission electron microscopy specimen holder that uses Peltier devices, and we have combined it with a liquid cell to realize accurate temperature control in LC-TEM. We evaluated this system by using water as a specimen. Motionless bubbles, shown to be voids containing pressurized gas, formed in the specimen sometime after the temperature had reached -12°C. An electron diffraction pattern showed that the specimen turned into ice Ih after the formation of these bubbles, confirming that our system works properly and can induce crystallization. In addition, we analyzed the behavior of bubbles formed in the ice Ih, and we discussed the formation of these bubbles and their internal pressure.

Keywords: in situ observation; Peltier element; cooling holder; crystallization; ice; liquid cell transmission electron microscopy; radiolysis; water.