In Situ Transmission Electron Microscopy Characterization and Manipulation of Two-Dimensional Layered Materials beyond Graphene

Two-dimensional (2D) ultra-thin materials beyond graphene with rich physical properties and unique layered structures are promising for applications in electronics, chemistry, energy, and bioscience, etc. The interaction mechanisms among the structures, chemical compositions and physical properties of 2D layered materials are critical for fundamental nanosciences and the practical fabrication of next-generation nanodevices. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), with its high spatial resolution and versatile external fields, is undoubtedly a powerful tool for the static characterization and dynamic manipulation of nanomaterials and nanodevices at the atomic scale. The rapid development of thin-film and precision microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) techniques allows 2D layered materials and nanodevices to be probed and engineered inside TEM under external stimuli such as thermal, electrical, mechanical, liquid/gas environmental, optical, and magnetic fields at the nanoscale. Such advanced technologies leverage the traditional static TEM characterization into an in situ and interactive manipulation of 2D layered materials without sacrificing the resolution or the high vacuum chamber environment, facilitating exploration of the intrinsic structure–property relationship of 2D layered materials. In this Review, the dynamic properties tailored and observed by the most advanced and unprecedented in situ TEM technology are introduced. The challenges in spatial, time and energy resolution are discussed also.