Acquisition of a High Resolution Transmission Electron Microscope for the University of Michigan Electron Microbeam Analysis Laboratory

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This grant provides support for the acquisition of a high resolution Transmission Electron Microscope (HRTEM) for the University of Michigan Electron Microbeam Analysis Laboratory (EMAL). High-resolution electron microscopy (HREM) has become a critical technique in the characterization of nanostructured materials at the University of Michigan (U of M). EMAL equipment is available to all research groups on campus, outside university researchers and to industry. This instrument will become the primary HREM for materials research in EMAL. In the past 15 years, over 50 research groups, from within the U of M, other universities and industry, have used the existing, outdated electron microscope. Through this usage, their research has resulted in more than 1150 publications at the U of M, and more than 350 graduate students at the U of M have used the old equipment for a major portion of their thesis research. The new instrument will provide essential capabilities to the University's research programs, attract new research programs, and allow more advanced training of graduate students in HREM. The new HREM will be an essential part of numerous materials research programs across campus, involving 14 faculty from several departments including Materials Science and Engineering, Nuclear Engineering and Radiological Sciences, Chemical Engineering, Physics and Geological Sciences. This new high resolution electron microscope (HREM) will allow the research community to more effectively pursue their studies of materials at the nanoscale, while also promoting the teaching, training and learning of the graduate and undergraduate students. About 40 students and post-docs actively use HREM in their research. Most faculty, who use the HREM have undergraduate students in their research groups actively working on characterization of materials. Summer high school interns are also able to participate in research and laboratory management. The new instrument will be used in summer research projects for minority high school students and young women. The new instrument will be available to any researcher on campus who needs these new capabilities.