Book Review doi:10.1017/S1431927617012752
© MICROSCOPY SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2017
Liquid Cell Electron Microscopy (Advances in Microscopy and Microanalysis). Frances M. Ross (Ed.). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK, 2017, 524 pp. ISBN: 978-1107116573.
In this era of Twitter feed and Snapchat, where information in the morning is obsolete by early afternoon, it is curious whether a physical book on an emerging and rapidly evol- ving technical topic would be a timely venture! Yet, the recent monograph, Liquid Cell Electron Microscopy, edited by Frances M. Ross, represents a major reference point and a milestone for researchers, students, and development and application aficionados in microscopy. Remarkably, despite being a rapidly developing field, the book is truly a threshold point and destined to become a reference resource from which novice or experienced users alike can find useful information. In the context of in situ or in operando experiments and
specimen stages, liquid cell electron microscopy (EM) is in a class by itself for many reasons. The readers may recall that the very first tutorial or a lesson related to EM always emphasized that electrons have mass and thus they interact with matter, including gases and liquids, very strongly. Thus, electron microscopes tend to be high vacuum systems, and the mere thought of putting liquid inside the microscope is dreaded by facility managers and technical caretakers. However, as the editor of this book herself demonstrated almost 15 years ago, it is possible to encapsulate a thin liquid “film” inside electron transparent membranes (typically SiNx) that allow for imaging/analysis without any leakage and damage to the microscope. Since then, there have been steady developments across all aspects of liquid cell EM, culminating in recent years with more than a critical mass of researchers and practitioners immersed in the prospects for this evolving field. The book covers remarkably diverse subjects and topics,
consolidated under three major themes: (1) Techniques, (2) Applications, and (3) Prospects. Each of these subject headings contains a comprehensive and diverse account of truly advanced developments in these areas, covered beautifully by the “who’s who” in the field. Ross and Niels de Jonge start off with a superb
introduction that covers important aspects in the field, and provides ample opportunities for a new student in the field to get initiated. The introduction spans not just the historical account or a linear progression of the field, but instead it provides an intellectual framework and critical areas of relevance. It highlights not only exciting opportu- nities in liquid cell EM, but its limitations as well. With 174 references, new students of the field will likely have a “field day” getting started, and mature researchers in the field will be able to identify specific reference or general queries.
The section under “Techniques” covers the technical
development of liquid cell, ranging from prospects for micro-fabricated stages to use of additional stimuli such as temperature control, for example. The initial chapters also cover another important development, albeit somewhat limited in scope, that of an SEM stage. Important funda- mental parameters in any EM measurements, such as constraints on spatial resolution, role of e-beam effects, and related factors are also essential to understand liquid cell EM and thus, are also covered. The majority of the book chapters are devoted to a broad
swath of applications of liquid cell in physical sciences, engineering, life sciences and increasingly importantly interdisciplinary areas which are rife with opportunities for liquid cell EM. Three broad areas of applications covered in this mid-part of the book involve many initial experiments conducted to understand nucleation, growth and assembly of nanostructures using the liquid cell approach. Another application area that is naturally compatible with the liquid cell involves electrochemical phenomena, covering charge storage (e.g., batteries) as well as corrosion. This is arguably a potential growth area for future liquid cell EM. The third more intriguing area of application is in life and inter- disciplinary sciences applied to potential “living” systems, where liquid cell may provide the “lifeline” for biological and the “living” nano-world. It should be noted that the 2017 Nobel Prize in Chemistry was awarded to developments in cryo-EM, which provides, literally and metaphorically, a “time frozen view” of macromolecular structures/complexes and associated binding phenomena. Thus, the prospect for extending the dynamic observations, utilizing liquid cell that can maintain physiologically viable conditions, is a provocative idea. The final section of this captivating book projects the
field forward. The chapters here flirt with the prospects for incorporating an aberration-corrected microscope as a plat- form for liquid cell EM. It covers the role of analytical microscopy and time-resolved studies that provide the important temporal component of any dynamic phenomena. The book does not pretend to be a “catch-all,” yet it
provides a superb cross-section of the state-of-the-art in the field at this juncture. The chapters and topics are compre-
hensive and thorough with ample references for students of the field to explore further. Even with just threemajor themes, the book is already large in size, with over 500 (!) pages. Moving forward, the fate of liquid cell development
and applications is inextricably connected to other areas, such as high-sensitivity (so-called single-electron) detectors,
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124 |
Page 125 |
Page 126 |
Page 127 |
Page 128 |
Page 129 |
Page 130 |
Page 131 |
Page 132 |
Page 133 |
Page 134 |
Page 135 |
Page 136 |
Page 137 |
Page 138 |
Page 139 |
Page 140 |
Page 141 |
Page 142 |
Page 143 |
Page 144 |
Page 145 |
Page 146 |
Page 147 |
Page 148 |
Page 149 |
Page 150 |
Page 151 |
Page 152 |
Page 153 |
Page 154 |
Page 155 |
Page 156 |
Page 157 |
Page 158 |
Page 159 |
Page 160 |
Page 161 |
Page 162 |
Page 163 |
Page 164 |
Page 165 |
Page 166 |
Page 167 |
Page 168 |
Page 169 |
Page 170 |
Page 171 |
Page 172 |
Page 173 |
Page 174 |
Page 175 |
Page 176 |
Page 177 |
Page 178 |
Page 179 |
Page 180
