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Writing Silica Structures in Liquid with Scanning Transmission Electron Microscopy
Author(s) -
van de Put Marcel W. P.,
Carcouët Camille C. M. C.,
Bomans Paul H. H.,
Friedrich Heiner,
de Jonge Niels,
Sommerdijk Nico A. J. M.
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
small
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.785
H-Index - 236
eISSN - 1613-6829
pISSN - 1613-6810
DOI - 10.1002/smll.201400913
Subject(s) - scanning electron microscope , transmission electron microscopy , materials science , scanning transmission electron microscopy , silicon nitride , scanning confocal electron microscopy , micrometer , electron tomography , conventional transmission electron microscope , energy filtered transmission electron microscopy , electron microscope , nanotechnology , cathode ray , nanoparticle , surface finish , electron , silicon , optics , optoelectronics , composite material , physics , quantum mechanics
Silica nanoparticles are imaged in solution with scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) using a liquid cell with silicon nitride (SiN) membrane windows. The STEM images reveal that silica structures are deposited in well‐defined patches on the upper SiN membranes upon electron beam irradiation. The thickness of the deposits is linear with the applied electron dose. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) demonstrate that the deposited patches are a result of the merging of the original 20 nm‐diameter nanoparticles, and that the related surface roughness depends on the electron dose rate used. Using this approach, sub‐micrometer scale structures are written on the SiN in liquid by controlling the electron exposure as function of the lateral position.