In Situ Liquid Cell Transmission Electron Microscopy Imaging of Nanocrystal Transformations*

Nanocrystals often change structure and morphology during growth and self-assembly. This
imposes challenges as well as opens opportunities for understanding and engineering the
transformations for practical applications of these nanostructures. Due to the dynamic processes
at the nanoscale, in situ transmission electron microscopy (TEM) characterization has become
indispensable for investigating the nanoscale materials transformations. In this talk, I will show
examples on the structural transformations of nanocrystals during growth and self-assembly
revealed by in situ liquid cell TEM. Special attention has been made to the transient states.
Theoretical calculation provides valuable information for depth understanding of the
observations. The study of nanoscale dynamics aids the future design of novel materials and
devices.