Revealing the mechanisms of non-thermal plasma-enabled iron oxide reduction through nanoscale operando TEM
Nature Communications
2025
Investigate plasma-assisted catalysis, surface modification, and materials processing using operando plasma generation and atomic-resolution in-situ TEM imaging
Operando Plasma Generation for In-Situ TEM
The TEM Plasma Gas Sample Holder enables operando plasma generation inside the transmission electron microscope, allowing plasma–material interactions to be investigated with atomic-resolution TEM and STEM imaging. A sealed environmental cell combines controlled gas flow, plasma generation, and high-voltage electrical biasing within a single experimental platform, enabling researchers to recreate plasma processing environments while performing real-time imaging and analytical characterization.
Built for Advanced Plasma–Material Interaction Studies
Designed for researchers in materials science, catalysis, semiconductor manufacturing, nanotechnology, energy conversion, and surface engineering, the holder supports investigations of plasma-assisted catalysis, surface modification, thin-film deposition and etching, defect engineering, nanoparticle growth, oxidation, reduction, and plasma-induced phase transformations. The platform enables direct observation of structural and chemical evolution during plasma processing under well-defined experimental conditions.
Reveal the Mechanisms Governing Plasma-Assisted Reactions
Many plasma-assisted processes are governed by short-lived reactive species and non-equilibrium reaction pathways that cannot be captured using conventional ex-situ characterization. By observing materials during plasma exposure, researchers can directly correlate structural evolution with the applied plasma environment to understand reaction mechanisms, optimize processing conditions, and accelerate the development of catalysts, semiconductor devices, coatings, and other advanced functional materials.
Hummingbird Advantages:
- Generate operando plasma with applied voltages up to 1 kV to study plasma–material interactions in real time.
- Combine controlled gas environments, plasma generation, and high-voltage electrical biasing within a single in-situ experiment.
- Features screw-free gas-plasma-cell assembly with self-aligning windows for fast, reproducible sample loading.
- Preserve analytical performance with full EELS and EDS compatibility.
- Choose from a broad range of microfabricated chips with multiple heater configurations, window dimensions, and electrode materials to match your experiment.
- Observe plasma-assisted catalysis, surface modification, thin-film processing, defect engineering, and other plasma-induced materials transformations at atomic resolution.
Technical Specs
1300 Series Plasma/Gas
Pressure Range at Sample
Top to bottom plasma
Plasma Geometry
up to 1kV
Plasma Voltage Range
Yes
Holder Gas Inlets/Outlets
1 inlet and 1 outlet on the holder
Gas Controller Configuration
1 experimental gas and 1 inert purge gas
Purge Capability
Yes
Biasing Contacts
4 contacts
EELS / EDS Compatible
Yes
Available For:
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How it Works
The TEM Plasma Gas Sample Holder integrates a sealed environmental cell, dedicated gas delivery, cathode–anode microfabricated MEMS chips, MEMS heating, high voltage electrical connections and safety features, and dedicated control hardware into a unified platform for operando plasma TEM experiments. The environmental cell is formed by a cathode chip and an anode chip separated by precision spacers, creating a controlled gas environment around the specimen that remains isolated from the microscope vacuum. When a voltage is applied between the electrodes, plasma is generated directly within the environmental cell adjacent to the electron-transparent imaging region, enabling real-time observation of plasma–material interactions at atomic resolution.
Controlled gas flow is delivered through the environmental cell at pressures up to 2 bar, while up to 1 kV electrical bias can be applied to sustain internal plasma between patterned electrodes with optimized geometries. This integrated platform enables researchers to directly correlate plasma exposure with structural, chemical, and functional evolution during plasma-assisted gas–solid reactions, catalyst activation, surface modification, and other plasma-assisted materials processes.
Key Features and Capabilities
Reproducible Screw-Free Plasma-Gas-Cell Assembly
Achieve reproducible plasma-gas-cell assembly with self-aligning windows and a screw-free sealing design
Operando Plasma Generation
Generate stable low-temperature plasma directly adjacent to the specimen for real-time studies of plasma–material interactions
Purgeable 1+1 Channel Gas Delivery System
Control gas pressure from high vacuum to 2 bar using one experimental gas and a dedicated purge line for reliable, repeatable gas-phase and operando plasma TEM experiments
TEM Safety & Seal Verification
Protect your TEM during plasma-gas-cell experiments and streamline setup with rapid high-vacuum seal checking and optical inspection
Optimized for EELS and EDS
Perform correlative spectroscopy and microscopy for detailed in-situ elemental analysis
Optional add-on feature
Integrated Gas Heating
Perform temperature-controlled gas-phase TEM with homogeneous MEMS heating above 1000 °C, 4-point on-chip temperature sensing, and near-drift-free imaging
Optional add-on feature
60+ In-Stock Plasma-Gas-Cell TEM Chip Configurations
Keep experiments moving with in-stock plasma-gas-cell TEM chips designed for operando plasma, gas flow, heating, sample biasing, and multimodal microscopy workflows
Built for Diverse Research Applications
Featured Research
a) Operando sequential images of nanoparticles treated by He + 0.5 % H2 plasma (56 mW). b) EDX-mapped images and corresponding 1-D profiles of net signals of untreated and treated nanoparticles by He + 0.5 % H2 plasma. c) High-resolution TEM images of untreated and treated nanoparticles by He + 0.5 % H2 plasma. d) Statistics of integrated net intensity ratios of untreated and treated nanoparticles measured from at least 10 particles foreach case. e) Statistics of particle sizes of untreated and treated nanoparticles. Scale bars denote 50 nm.
Operando plasma TEM imaging of hydrogen-plasma reduction in Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles
The Hummingbird Scientific TEM Gas Plasma sample holder was used to perform operando transmission electron microscopy of magnetite (Fe3O4) nanoparticles during exposure to non-thermal hydrogen plasma. By integrating a custom atmospheric-pressure plasma cell into the holder, the researchers imaged nanoscale plasma–material interactions in real-time with ~1 nm spatial resolution. The platform enabled direct observation of particle shrinkage, crack formation, and reduction kinetics during plasma treatment. Correlative TEM and EDX analysis revealed that hydrogen radicals generated within the plasma rapidly reduced iron oxide at temperatures substantially below conventional thermal reduction conditions, providing direct mechanistic insight into plasma-assisted materials processing.
Reference: Jae Hyun Nam, et al. Nature Communications (2025). DOI:10.1038/s41467-025-62639-4
Copyright © 2025 The Author(s). Nature Communications published by Springer Nature. Open Access.
Software
Spend less time managing equipment and more time generating results. Hummingbird Connect™ integrates with microscope and laboratory software platforms to simplify experiment setup, streamline workflows, and keep your data organized from acquisition through analysis.
To help you get the most from your gas-cell holder, Hummingbird Control™ Software provides intuitive and precise control of closed loop gas heating. Together, these software solutions enable faster setup, improved reproducibility, and more efficient gas-phase TEM experiments.
Built on Engineering Excellence
Hummingbird Scientific designs, machines, assembles, tests, and services its products in-house. Our integrated engineering, machining, microfabrication, and applications teams enable rapid prototyping and iteration, custom modifications, and direct technical support throughout the life of the instrument. This vertically integrated approach allows researchers to adapt experimental platforms to unique scientific requirements while maintaining the performance and reliability required for advanced in-situ microscopy experiments.
The TEM Plasma Gas Sample Holder is a direct result of these capabilities, integrating operando plasma generation, controlled gas delivery, MEMS heating, electrical biasing, and experimental workflows into a single platform for reproducible in-situ plasma TEM experiments.
Need something unique? Our engineers can customize existing products or develop entirely new solutions to support specialized experiments and emerging research challenges.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a TEM Plasma Gas Sample Holder?
What types of experiments can be performed with the TEM Plasma Gas Sample Holder?
What gas flow configurations are available for the TEM Plasma Gas Sample Holder?
How is the environmental cell assembled in the TEM Plasma Gas Sample Holder?
Can EDS and/or EELS be performed during in-situ experiments using the TEM Plasma Gas Sample Holder?
Which gases can be used with the TEM Plasma Gas Sample Holder?
Related Products
Awards
Microscopy Today 2026 Innovation Award
Microscopy Today
2026
Hummingbird Scientific received a Microscopy Today Innovation Award for its Operando Plasma TEM Sample Holder, developed with the University of Minnesota to enable real-time nanoscale imaging of plasma-material interactions.
Customization and Service
TEM Gas Plasma
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