Pockets In Graphene Layers Allow Viewing of Liquids With an Electron Microscope

slew writes "Looking at liquids with a transmission electron microscope to observe things like crystal growth has been difficult to do. This is because liquids need to be confined to a capsule to view them in a TEM (because the electrons are flying at the sample in a chamber near vaccuum pressures where liquids would evaporate or sublimate). Traditional capsules of Silicon Oxide or Silicon Nitride have been fairly opaque. A paper describes a new technique with a 'pocket' created between two graphene layers which can hold liquids for observation by a TEM and the graphene is apparently much more transparent than previous materials allowing a better view of the processes (like crystalization), taking place in the liquid. The BBC has a non-paywalled summary article."

Comments

hey that's actually a pretty good summary

[Trepidity]

tl;dr, liquids have to be confined to be scanned in an electron microscope because otherwise they'll evaporate due to the near-vacuum pressures, previous solutions confined them in capsules that were not so transparent, new solution uses more-transparent bubbles between graphene layers to trap liquids in

Graphene, it's able to do anything!

[Anonymous Coward]

There's nothing it can't fix. It'll soon be found to be in Captain America's Shield and in the Upsidasium Mountain.