Direct imaging of micelle dynamics with an electron microscope

Direct imaging of single micelle dynamics and the kinetics of their assembly is not possible with conventionally used imaging techniques such as transmission electron microscopy (TEM) or cryo-TEM. In this talk, I will discuss our efforts to image the dynamics of simple block copolymer micelles using liquid-phase TEM. By directly visualizing small micellar assemblies in solution, we demonstrate the structure-dependent dynamics of these assemblies, with intriguing surprises.