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True Bulk Electrochemistry Inside the TEM
The Hummingbird Scientific TEM Bulk Liquid Electrochemistry Sample Holder is the first in-situ liquid-phase TEM platform designed to reproduce true bulk electrochemical behavior inside your TEM. Unlike conventional liquid-cell TEM systems that rely on on-chip pseudo-reference electrodes, the bulk liquid electrochemistry sample holder incorporates off-chip bulk reference (e.g., Ag/AgCl) and counter electrodes (e.g., Pt) to deliver stable, reproducible electrochemical measurements that closely match benchtop electrochemistry while enabling concurrent nanoscale imaging.
Quantitative Electrochemistry with Nanoscale Imaging
Perform cyclic voltammetry, chronoamperometry, battery cycling, electrocatalysis, corrosion studies, and electrochemical synthesis while directly observing structural and chemical evolution in liquid environments.
Available For:
Hummingbird Scientific designs, machines, assembles, tests, and services its products in-house. Our integrated engineering, machining, microfabrication, and applications teams enable rapid product development, custom modifications, and direct technical support throughout the life of the instrument. This vertically integrated approach allows researchers to adapt experimental platforms to unique scientific requirements while maintaining the performance and reliability required for advanced in-situ microscopy experiments.
The TEM Bulk Liquid Electrochemistry Sample Holder is a direct result of these capabilities, enabling reproducible true bulk electrochemical measurements combined with in-situ nanoscale imaging.
Need something unique? Our engineers can customize existing products or develop entirely new solutions to support specialized experiments and emerging research challenges.
Trusted by researchers worldwide, the Hummingbird Scientific TEM Bulk Liquid Electrochemistry Sample Holder has contributed to 30+ peer-reviewed publications from leading universities, national laboratories, and research institutions worldwide in Nature, Science, ACS Nano, Advanced Functional Materials, and other leading journals.
Khim Karki, Rui Serra-Maia, Eric Stach, Daan Hein Alsem, Norman Salmon. “Realistic Bulk Electrochemistry in Liquid Cell Microscopy”. Microscopy and Microanalysis (2020)
Perform in-situ liquid phase electrochemistry matching benchtop performance
Image samples in continuous-flow or static liquid environments using a sealed microfluidic chip assembly
Correlate electrochemical and imaging data across TEM, SEM, and X-ray microscopy platforms
Perform correlative spectroscopy and microscopy for detailed in-situ elemental analysis
Protect your TEM during liquid-cell experiments and streamline setup with rapid high-vacuum seal checking and optical inspection
Enhance your in-situ experiments with advanced add-on functionalities
Add temperature-controlled liquid-phase TEM capabilities with homogeneous heating, precise temperature regulation, and near drift-free in-situ imaging
Accelerate discovery with dual-flow liquid mixing for in-situ liquid phase TEM, capturing dynamic reactions with greater control and flexibility
The Generation V TEM bulk liquid electrochemistry sample holder integrates a sealed microfluidic liquid cell with true bulk reference and counter electrodes positioned off-chip, enabling accurate electrochemical control within the TEM. Real reference electrodes (e.g., Ag/AgCl) provide stable potentials, while bulk counter electrodes (e.g., Pt) support consistent current flow, eliminating the instability and drift common in on-chip systems.
During operation, electrolyte flows through the liquid cell while electrochemical cycling is performed on the working electrode under direct electron beam observation. This architecture decouples electrochemical performance from geometric and material limitations of on-chip microfabricated electrodes, delivering reproducible current–voltage responses with well-defined redox peaks—closely matching bulk electroanalytical behavior while simultaneously enabling nanometer resolution imaging in liquid environments.
Advantages
Spend less time managing equipment and more time generating results. Hummingbird Connect integrates with microscope and laboratory software platforms to simplify experiment setup, streamline workflows, and keep your data organized from acquisition through analysis.
To help you get the most from your liquid-cell holder, Hummingbird Control Software provides intuitive and precise control of closed loop liquid heating. Together, these software solutions enable faster setup, improved reproducibility, and more efficient liquid-phase and electrochemical TEM experiments.
Operando cyclic voltammetry of Cu plating and stripping reproduces benchtop CV over many cycles
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.
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.
Hummingbird Advantage
Reference: HBS internal data obtained in collaboration with Rui Filipe Serra Maia and Eric Stach at the University of Pennsylvania.
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