Hard Matter

In order to fully characterize a material, we need to know where the atoms are (HAADF, ABF, HRTEM) and try to identify the atomic species (EDX) and their chemical state (EELS). Ideally, we would like to obtain this information without altering the state of the material during the investigation. Modern advances enable this through techniques such as in-situ electron counting cameras, HRTEM imaging in a liquid environment or at cryogenic temperatures.
Often, we are also interested in a specific function and the behavior of a material under an influence of a defined physical or chemical stimuli. For this, observation of an isolated system in vacuum is insufficient. --> in-situ and operando Electron Microscopy
  • High-resolution electron microscopy (TEM/STEM)
  • Energy Dispersive X-Ray spectroscopy (EDX) and Electron Energy Loss Spectroscopy (EELS) for elemental composition and chemical analysis
  • Selected Area Electron Diffraction (SAED)
  • ePDF (pair distributiion function based on the electron diffraction)
  • 4DSTEM