Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Cryo-electron Microscopy

Cryo-electron Microscopy

Conventional electron microscopy (EM) involves dehydration, fixation, and staining of biological samples, which distorts the native state of biological molecules and results in several artifacts. Also, the high-energy electron beam damages the sample and makes it difficult to obtain high-resolution images. These issues can be addressed using cryo-EM, which uses frozen samples and gentler electron beams. The technique was developed by Jacques Dubochet, Joachim Frank, and Richard Henderson, for...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

An Inorganic Layered Coordination Polymer as High-Performance Solid-State Electrolyte for Stable Lithium Metal Batteries.

Advanced materials (Deerfield Beach, Fla.)·2026

Same author

Tailoring the Work Function of Oxyhalide Solid Electrolytes via Sulfur Doping to Boost High-Performance All-Solid-State Lithium Batteries.

Small (Weinheim an der Bergstrasse, Germany)·2026

Same author

Harnessing High-Pressure CO<sub>2</sub> for Molecular-Scale Interfacial Engineering in Sulfide-Based All‑Solid‑State Lithium Metal Batteries.

Advanced materials (Deerfield Beach, Fla.)·2026

Same author

Facet-engineered Prussian blue analog nanosheet-assembled superstructures for efficient syngas production.

Chemical communications (Cambridge, England)·2026

Same author

Mechanistic insights into high performance W<sup>6+</sup>-doped Li<sub>3</sub>YCl<sub>6</sub> solid state electrolytes: synergy of vacancies and lattice softening.

Physical chemistry chemical physics : PCCP·2026

Same author

A Universal AgP<sub>2</sub> Nanowire Modification Method Enabling Durable Anodes for Alkaline Seawater Electrolysis.

ACS applied materials & interfaces·2026

Same journal

High-Performance CH-Series Non-Fullerene Acceptors for Organic Photovoltaics.

Accounts of chemical research·2026

Same journal

Design Principles for Negative Thermal Expansion in Two-Dimensional Materials.

Accounts of chemical research·2026

Same journal

Main Group Redox Catalysis: New Frontiers with Germanium and Tin.

Accounts of chemical research·2026

Same journal

Taming Irreversibility in sp<sup>2</sup>-Carbon-Conjugated COFs from Polycrystalline Powders to Single Crystals and Thin Films.

Accounts of chemical research·2026

Same journal

Electroactive Imidazolium Ionic Liquids in Organic Synthesis.

Accounts of chemical research·2026

Same journal

Calix[4]resorcinarene-Based Porous Organic Cages: Synthesis and Applications.

Accounts of chemical research·2026

See all related articles

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Nov 9, 2025

Nanoscale Characterization of Liquid-Solid Interfaces by Coupling Cryo-Focused Ion Beam Milling with Scanning Electron Microscopy and Spectroscopy

Nanoscale Characterization of Liquid-Solid Interfaces by Coupling Cryo-Focused Ion Beam Milling with Scanning Electron Microscopy and Spectroscopy

Published on: July 14, 2022

Visualizing the Sensitive Lithium with Atomic Precision: Cryogenic Electron Microscopy for Batteries.

Yujing Liu¹, Zhijin Ju¹, Baolin Zhang¹

¹College of Materials Science and Engineering, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou 310014, People's Republic of China.

Accounts of Chemical Research

|April 15, 2021

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Cryogenic electron microscopy (cryo-EM) enables high-resolution imaging of lithium metal, overcoming challenges in battery development. This technique visualizes lithium deposits and solid electrolyte interphases, guiding the design of advanced lithium metal batteries.

More Related Videos

Failure Analysis of Batteries Using Synchrotron-based Hard X-ray Microtomography

Failure Analysis of Batteries Using Synchrotron-based Hard X-ray Microtomography

Published on: August 26, 2015

$In Situ Neutron Powder Diffraction Using Custom-made Lithium-ion Batteries$

In Situ Neutron Powder Diffraction Using Custom-made Lithium-ion Batteries

Published on: November 10, 2014

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Nov 9, 2025

Nanoscale Characterization of Liquid-Solid Interfaces by Coupling Cryo-Focused Ion Beam Milling with Scanning Electron Microscopy and Spectroscopy

Nanoscale Characterization of Liquid-Solid Interfaces by Coupling Cryo-Focused Ion Beam Milling with Scanning Electron Microscopy and Spectroscopy

Published on: July 14, 2022

Failure Analysis of Batteries Using Synchrotron-based Hard X-ray Microtomography

Failure Analysis of Batteries Using Synchrotron-based Hard X-ray Microtomography

Published on: August 26, 2015

$In Situ Neutron Powder Diffraction Using Custom-made Lithium-ion Batteries$

In Situ Neutron Powder Diffraction Using Custom-made Lithium-ion Batteries

Published on: November 10, 2014

Area of Science:

Materials Science
Electrochemistry
Microscopy

Background:

Lithium (Li)-metal batteries offer high theoretical capacity but face challenges from Li dendrite growth.
Imaging sensitive Li metal at high resolution is crucial for understanding battery performance but technically difficult.
Conventional electron imaging techniques struggle with Li's low melting point and reactivity.

Purpose of the Study:

To highlight the significance of cryogenic electron microscopy (cryo-EM) in analyzing metallic Li.
To demonstrate cryo-EM's capabilities in visualizing Li deposits, solid electrolyte interphases (SEI), and interfaces in Li metal batteries.
To guide the rational design of high-performance Li metal anodes and next-generation energy storage devices.

Main Methods:

Utilizing cryogenic electron microscopy (cryo-EM), specifically cryo-transmission electron microscopy (cryo-TEM), for high-resolution imaging.
Applying cryo-EM to analyze the micromorphology and atomic structure of Li deposits during battery cycling.
Investigating Li lattice ordering, SEI nanostructures, nucleation sites, and solid electrolyte-Li anode interfaces.

Main Results:

Cryo-EM successfully imaged electron-beam sensitive Li metal in its native state at nano- and atomic scales.
High-resolution visualization of Li dendrites, uniform Li spheres, and their crystal orientations was achieved.
Nanostructures of SEI, crucial for Li plating/stripping, were systematically summarized, aiding in designing robust SEI layers.
Li nucleation and interfaces between solid electrolytes and Li anodes were atomically monitored and optimized.

Conclusions:

Cryo-EM provides unprecedented insights into Li metal behavior, overcoming limitations of conventional techniques.
This advanced imaging method is pivotal for understanding and mitigating Li dendrite formation.
Cryo-EM facilitates the rational design of high-performance Li metal anodes and robust solid electrolyte interphases, advancing next-generation battery development.