Acquisition of a Digital Imaging System for Advanced Transmission Electron Microscopy of Nanostructured Materials

University Of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln NE

Investigators

Abstract

0076504 Liu This is an award to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln for the acquisition of a digital imaging system for Transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The instrument will be fitted on an existing JEOL 2010 TEM to develop two new techniques, super-resolution TEM, (SRTEM) and selected reflection imaging (SRI). This will make it possible to develop a simple but an effective model to extend the resolution of TEM micrograph through post image processing. The first method only involves Fourier transform and image summation. With this method, images with 0.15 nanometer resolution are routinely obtained with this method. The second technique consists in selected reflection imaging for nanostructured materials characterization. This technique uses a single ring in the electron diffraction pattern to form the image. A small aperture and illumination tilting are used to achieve the experimental set-up in a conventional TEM. Preliminary results obtained using conventional JEOL 2010 TEM indicate that this technique has the advantage of easy operation, and instant results. Measurement of nano-particle size, phase identification and volume fraction measurement in dual phase materials will be possible. This grant is to support acquisition of a digital imaging system, a sophisticated system which will be a tremendous improvement in terms of resolution, as well as ability to record the images and later analyze them, over the current facilities. The instrument is best suited for research at the small nanotechnology scale.