Typical in-situ liquid phase TEM electrochemistry relies on on-chip electrodes, which limits electrochemical fidelity due to constrained geometries, unstable pseudo-reference potentials, and electrode degradation over repeated cycling. The Generation V bulk liquid electrochemistry sample holder overcomes these challenges by incorporating bulk, off-chip reference and counter electrodes, enabling reproducible, benchtop-equivalent electrochemical performance inside the TEM.

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The video shows copper plating and stripping from a CuSO₄ solution at the working electrode, directly visualized in real time. The corresponding cyclic voltammetry curve (inset) aligns with the observed dynamics, demonstrating consistent and repeatable bulk-representative electrochemical behavior within the in-situ liquid cell TEM experiment.

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Hummingbird Advantage

• Bulk reference and counter electrodes allow direct extrapolation of observed growth pathways to bulk synthesis process design.
• Robust off-chip electrodes minimize electrode degradation over many electrochemical cycles.

Reference: HBS internal data obtained in collaboration with Rui Filipe Serra Maia and Eric Stach at the University of Pennsylvania.