Seeing through walls at the nanoscale: microwave microscopy of enclosed objects and processes in liquids

Published

February 11, 2016

Author(s)

Alexander Tselev, Jeyavel Velmurugan, Anton Ievlev, Sergei Kalinin, Andrei Kolmakov

Abstract

Noninvasive in situ nanoscale imaging in liquid environments is a current imperative in analysis of delicate bio-medical objects and electrochemical processes at reactive liquid-solid interfaces. Microwaves of a few gigahertz frequency offer photons of energies 10 μeV, which can affect neither electronic states, nor chemical bonds in condensed matter. Here, we describe an implementation of scanning near-field microwave microscopy for imaging in liquids using ultrathin molecular impermeable membranes separating scanning probes from samples enclosed in environmental cells. We imaged a model electroplating reaction as well as individual live cells. Through a side-by-side comparison of the microwave imaging with scanning electron microscopy, we demonstrate the advantage of microwaves for artifact-free imaging.

Citation

ACS Nano

Volume

10

Issue

3

Pub Type

Journals

Download Paper

https://doi.org/10.1021/acsnano.5b07919

Local Download

Keywords

microwave microscopy, in situ imaging, electrochemical process, living cells

Citation

Tselev, A. , Velmurugan, J. , Ievlev, A. , Kalinin, S. and Kolmakov, A. (2016), Seeing through walls at the nanoscale: microwave microscopy of enclosed objects and processes in liquids, ACS Nano, [online], https://doi.org/10.1021/acsnano.5b07919, https://tsapps.nist.gov/publication/get_pdf.cfm?pub_id=919781 (Accessed October 7, 2025)