Characterization of nanomaterials dynamics with transmission electron microscope

Properties and functions of nanomaterials, especially catalysts, are determined by their structure and its interplay with chemical, electrical, mechanical stimuli, and other media. Significant improvement in understanding nanomaterials structures and dynamics at the atomic scale has been made due to the advancement of new instrumentation and methods in electron microscopy. In this article we review the critical progresses made in visualizing the reaction at the solid-liquid interface using liquid cell in TEM, in probing the solid-state chemistry using dose-efficient and high speed electron detectors, and in characterizing the nanoparticle response to gas environment using gas cell and environmental electron microscopy, and discuss how imaging the dynamics with high resolution helps with the design and fabrication of new nanomaterials.