Morgan Barbey-Binggeli and Vasiliki Tileli from EPFL published recent work using Hummingbird Scientific In-Situ SEM bulk liquid-electrochemistry sample holder to directly visualize localized anodic corrosion of aluminum in real time at the solid–liquid interface. By combining electrochemical control with operando SEM imaging in liquid, the study reveals how pitting initiates and evolves dynamically, including associated gas generation and changes in pit morphology.

In the experiments, the team used liquid-phase SEM and TEM workflows to monitor thin-film aluminum in saline electrolyte while applying galvanostatic (constant-current) conditions to drive corrosion in a controlled manner. As the applied current increased, corrosion progressed from early surface blisters and nanoscale pit nucleation to fully developed pit networks, including transitions from rounded pits to complex fractal-like dissolution fronts. Importantly, the operando imaging also enabled direct observation of gas bubble formation during advanced pitting, and follow-up analysis confirmed the evolved gas as molecular hydrogen (H2). This study highlights what becomes possible with the Hummingbird Scientific In-Situ SEM bulk liquid-electrochemistry holder: stable bulk electrochemistry inside the SEM paired with direct imaging in liquid, enabling researchers to connect electrochemical conditions to real-time interfacial processes that are otherwise difficult to capture.

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Reference:

Morgan Barbey-Binggeli & Vasiliki Tileli, J. Am. Chem. Soc., 147(38), 34920–34932 (2025). DOI: 10.1021/jacs.5c11352