Observing the Dynamics of an Electrochemically Driven Active Material with Liquid Electron Microscopy
The IRG-2 team led by Assistant Professor Joe Patterson (Department of Chemistry) and his student Wyeth Gibson, have pioneered the observation of molecular active materials using liquid electron microscopy. This technique, primarily applied to inorganic materials, is now being used to explore the self-assembly dynamics of active molecular materials. The study examines these dynamics across various scales, from the nanoscale behavior of individual fibers to the micrometer-scale hierarchical evolution of fiber clusters. To isolate the influences of the electron beam and electrical potential on material behavior, the researchers conducted thorough beam–sample interaction analyses.
The findings reveal that the dynamics of these active materials at the nanoscale are shaped by their proximity to the electrode and the applied electrical current. By integrating electron microscopy observations with reaction–diffusion simulations, they uncover that local structures and their formation history play a crucial role in determining assembly rates. This suggests that the emergence of nonequilibrium structures can locally accelerate further structural development, offering insights into the behavior of active materials under electrochemical conditions.
The work has been published in ACS Nano. The research team included collaborators from CCAM Zhibin Guan and Allon Hochbaum, as well as from the University of Massachusetts Boston.