TEM Bulk Liquid Electrochemistry │Hummingbird Scientific

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Bring the precision and control of benchtop electrochemistry to your in-situ liquid phase TEM experiments

True Bulk Electrochemistry Inside the TEM

The Hummingbird Scientific TEM Bulk Liquid Electrochemistry Sample Holder is the first in-situ liquid-phase TEM platform designed to reproduce true bulk electrochemical behavior inside your TEM. Unlike conventional liquid-cell TEM systems that rely on on-chip pseudo-reference electrodes, the bulk liquid electrochemistry sample holder incorporates off-chip bulk reference (e.g., Ag/AgCl) and counter electrodes (e.g., Pt) to deliver stable, reproducible electrochemical measurements that closely match benchtop electrochemistry while enabling concurrent nanoscale imaging.

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Quantitative Electrochemistry with Nanoscale Imaging

Perform cyclic voltammetry, chronoamperometry, battery cycling, electrocatalysis, corrosion studies, and electrochemical synthesis while directly observing structural and chemical evolution in liquid environments.

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Technical Specs

1490 series

Total Electrodes

6

True Reference Electrode

Yes- drift rate less than 0.1 mV/min

True Counter Electrode

Yes

Counter Electrode Material

User’s choice of material

Electrolytes

Aqueous, wide range of organics*

Spacer range

100nm to 2 μm*

Heating Capability

Yes

EELS/ EDS Compatible

Yes

Instrument Type

TEM

Available For:

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 product development, 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.

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The TEM Bulk Liquid Electrochemistry Sample Holder is a direct result of these capabilities, enabling reproducible true bulk electrochemical measurements combined with in-situ nanoscale imaging.

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Need something unique? Our engineers can customize existing products or develop entirely new solutions to support specialized experiments and emerging research challenges.

Engineering Capabilities Custom Solutions

Built for Diverse Research Applications

Electrochemistry

Study electrodeposition, electrocatalysis, corrosion mechanisms, and electrochemical interface evolution.

Cyclic Voltammetry (CV)

Linear Sweep Voltammetry (LSV)

Chronoamperometry (CA)

Chronopotentiometry (CP)

Electrochemical Impedance (EIS)

Catalysis

Directly observe the mechanisms that drive catalyst activity, selectivity, and degradation.

Heterogeneous Catalysis

Structure-Performance Relationship

Catalyst Structural Transformations

Catalyst Chemical Transformations

Catalyst Redox

Synthesis

Uncover nucleation and crystal growth mechanisms, quantify growth kinetics, and optimize synthesis conditions.

Nucleation & Growth

Crystal Growth Kinetics

Morphology Control

Reaction Pathway Analysis

Growth Process Optimization

Battery Materials

Directly visualize battery cycling, ion transport, dendrite formation, interface evolution, and structural changes.

Charge-Discharge Cycling

High Impact Publications

Trusted by researchers worldwide, the Hummingbird Scientific TEM Bulk Liquid Electrochemistry Sample Holder has contributed to 30+ peer-reviewed publications from leading universities, national laboratories, and research institutions worldwide in Nature, Science, ACS Nano, Advanced Functional Materials, and other leading journals.

Antonia E Kotronia, Eric Gautron, Ivan T Lucas, Patricia Abellan. “Towards Controlled Chemical and Electrochemical Reactivity during In Situ Scanning Transmission Electron Microscopy”. Microscopy and Microanalysis (2025)

Abstract

Krishna Kumar, Anna Loiudice, Coline Boulanger, Seyedmohamadjavad Chabok, Raffaella Buonsanti. “Real-Time Monitoring Reveals Stability of Gallium Nanoparticles beyond the Thermodynamic Reduction Potential of Their Oxide Skin under CO2 Reduction Conditions”. Chemistry of Materials (2025)

Abstract

Shu Fen Tan, Hanglong Wu, Joseph S. Manser, Duhan Zhang, Maria Ronchi, Sylvia Smullin, Yet-Ming Chiang, Frances M. Ross. “Electrochemical Reactivity and Stability of the Fe Electrode in Alkaline Electrolyte”. Advanced Functional Materials (2025)

Abstract

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Key Features and Capabilities

Add-ons

Enhance your in-situ experiments with advanced add-on functionalities

How it Works

The Generation V TEM bulk liquid electrochemistry sample holder integrates a sealed microfluidic liquid cell with true bulk reference and counter electrodes positioned off-chip, enabling accurate electrochemical control within the TEM. Real reference electrodes (e.g., Ag/AgCl) provide stable potentials, while bulk counter electrodes (e.g., Pt) support consistent current flow, eliminating the instability and drift common in on-chip systems.

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During operation, electrolyte flows through the liquid cell while electrochemical cycling is performed on the working electrode under direct electron beam observation. This architecture decouples electrochemical performance from geometric and material limitations of on-chip microfabricated electrodes, delivering reproducible current–voltage responses with well-defined redox peaks—closely matching bulk electroanalytical behavior while simultaneously enabling nanometer resolution imaging in liquid environments.

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Advantages

Replicates true bulk electrochemical performance inside a TEM.
Eliminates signal drift and instability caused by on-chip pseudo-reference electrodes.
Improves signal-to-noise ratio during electrochemical measurements.
Enables direct nanoscale observations of structural evolution during electrochemical cycling in liquid environments.

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.

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To help you get the most from your liquid-cell holder, Hummingbird Control Software provides intuitive and precise control of closed loop liquid heating. Together, these software solutions enable faster setup, improved reproducibility, and more efficient liquid-phase and electrochemical TEM experiments.

Hummingbird Connect Control Software

Related Products

Video Spotlight

Operando cyclic voltammetry of Cu plating and stripping reproduces benchtop CV over many cycles

Typical in-situ liquid phase TEM electrochemistry relies on on-chip electrodes, which limits electrochemical fidelity due to constrained geometries, unstable pseudo-reference potentials, and electrode degradation over repeated cycling. The Generation V bulk liquid electrochemistry sample holder overcomes these challenges by incorporating bulk, off-chip reference and counter electrodes, enabling reproducible, benchtop-equivalent electrochemical performance inside the TEM.

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The video shows copper plating and stripping from a CuSO₄ solution at the working electrode, directly visualized in real time. The corresponding cyclic voltammetry curve (inset) aligns with the observed dynamics, demonstrating consistent and repeatable bulk-representative electrochemical behavior within the in-situ liquid cell TEM experiment.

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Hummingbird Advantage

Bulk reference and counter electrodes allow direct extrapolation of observed growth pathways to bulk synthesis process design.
Robust off-chip electrodes minimize electrode degradation over many electrochemical cycles.

Reference: HBS internal data obtained in collaboration with Rui Filipe Serra Maia and Eric Stach at the University of Pennsylvania.

Awards

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TEM Bulk Liquid Electrochemistry

Reproduce Benchtop Electrochemical Performance Inside Your TEM with In-Situ Imaging of Nanoscale Dynamics

The first in-situ TEM electrochemistry platform with off-chip bulk reference and counter electrodes, enabling quantitative cyclic voltammetry, chronoamperometry, battery cycling, corrosion studies, electrocatalysis, and electrochemical synthesis with nanoscale imaging.

Reproduce Benchtop Electrochemical Performance Inside Your TEM with In-Situ Imaging of Nanoscale Dynamics

Overview

How it Works

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Publications

FAQ

Bring the precision and control of benchtop electrochemistry to your in-situ liquid phase TEM experiments

Built on Engineering Excellence