Time-resolved transmission electron microscopy for nanoscale chemical dynamics

The ability of transmission electron microscopy (TEM) to image a structure ranging from millimetres to & ANGS;ngstroms has made it an indispensable component of the toolkit of modern chemists. TEM has enabled unprecedented understanding of the atomic structures of materials and how structure relates to properties and functions. Recent developments in TEM have advanced the technique beyond static material characterization to probing structural evolution on the nanoscale in real time. Accompanying advances in data collection have pushed the temporal resolution into the microsecond regime with the use of direct-electron detectors and down to the femtosecond regime with pump-probe microscopy. Consequently, studies have deftly applied TEM for understanding nanoscale dynamics, often in operando. In this Review, time-resolved in situ TEM techniques and their applications for probing chemical and physical processes are discussed, along with emerging directions in the TEM field. (GRAPHICS)

Automated summary

The ability of transmission electron microscopy (TEM) to image structures ranging from millimetres to angstroms has made it an indispensable tool for modern chemists. Recent developments in TEM have allowed for real-time probing of structural evolution on the nanoscale. Time-resolved in situ TEM techniques are discussed in this review, along with their applications for studying chemical and physical processes.