For the first time ever, the movement of a single atom through a liquid has been captured on camera, according to a report by ScienceAlert.
Scientists from the University of Manchester trapped and watched platinum atoms "swimming" along a surface under various pressures employing a sandwich of materials so thin that they are essentially two-dimensional.
Transmission Electron Microscopy
The lack of methods that can generate experimental data for solid-liquid interfaces is one of the reasons why information about this behavior is still lacking, according to Haigh.
According to materials scientist Sarah Haigh of the University of Manchester in the United Kingdom, given the pervasive industrial and scientific importance of this behavior, there is still much to learn about the fundamentals of how atoms behave on surfaces that are in contact with liquids.
When solid and liquid come into contact, their behaviors are altered.ScienceAlert explained that these interactions play a crucial role in understanding a variety of processes and applications, including the movement of ions in batteries and materials inside our bodies.
The researchers point out that it is very challenging to observe the world at the atomic scale. One of the few methods that make this possible is transmission electron microscopy (TEM), which creates images using an electron beam.
Finding trustworthy information on the behavior of atoms in this way has proven challenging, though. Although earlier research on graphene liquid cells was promising, the outcomes were inaccurate, according to ScienceAlert.
Additionally, a high vacuum environment is frequently needed for TEM to operate. This is problematic because many materials exhibit different behaviors under various pressure situations.
Fortunately, a type of TEM has been created that can function in liquid and gaseous conditions, and the team used this type of TEM for their research.
Read also: MIT Professor Creates 'Liquid Metal Batteries' To Enable Long-Term Storage For Renewable Energies
Milestone Achievement
The atoms were then placed inside a unique set of microscope slides. Due to its impermeability, strength, two-dimensionality, and inertness is the perfect substance for these experiments, according to ScienceAlert.
The team also created a double graphene liquid cell that can be used with current TEM technology by building on earlier work.
The team observed platinum atoms moving around on a solid surface of molybdenum disulfide in this cell, which was filled with a carefully regulated salt water solution that had platinum atoms.
The images revealed some interesting qualities. For instance, atoms chose different locations to rest on the solid surface when they were in liquid as opposed to when they were outside of it.
Additionally, the findings from inside and outside of a vacuum chamber were dissimilar, indicating that changes in the pressure of the environment can affect how atoms behave.
According to materials engineer Nick Clark of the University of Manchester:
"This is a milestone achievement and it is only the beginning - we are already looking to use this technique to support development of materials for sustainable chemical processing, needed to achieve the world's net zero ambitions."
Related Article: 'Electron Whirlpools': MIT Physicists Discover Electricity Acting Like Water
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Written by Joaquin Victor Tacla
