In situ TEM observation of solid-gas reactions

Under a gaseous atmosphere at high temperatures, almost all the materials (metal, catalysts, etc.) change their structures and properties. For the research and development of materials, it is of vital importance to clarify mechanisms of solid-gas and liquid-gas reactions. Recently an in situ TEM system combined with an environmental holder, which has a gas injection nozzle close to a specimen-heating element, has been developed. The gas injection nozzle permits gas to flow around the specimens sitting on the heating element made of a fine W filament. The newly developed in situ TEM has a differential pumping system; therefore, the pressure in the specimen chamber is maintained in the range of higher than 1 Pa, while the pressure in the electron gun chamber can be kept in the range of 10(-5) Pa. This system was applied to in situ observation of chemical reactions of metals with gases: Observation of oxidation and reduction under a gas pressure ranging from 10(-5) Pa to I Pa at high temperatures (room temperature to similar to 1473 K) were successfully carried out on pure metal and rare metal catalysts at near-atomic resolution. This in situ environmental TEM system is promising for clarifying mechanisms of many solid-gas and liquid-gas reactions that take place at high temperatures under a gas atmosphere.