ultra-high resolution scanning electron microscope (inc. energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy)

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Chemical materials science occupies a key position in the research profile of the Leibniz University in Hanover, as it is a link in almost all established focal points 'optical technologies', 'biomedical research', 'quantum optics' and 'production technology'. Recent appointments resulted in a sustainable strengthening of the chemical material science section. Compared to the past, there is now a stronger focus on soft matter, polymers, hybrid materials and colloids. The corresponding materials require a special combination of analytical methods for special characterization. Therefore, the Leibniz-University Hanover will establish a new core facility for the multi-scale analysis techniques for the chemical material science (cfMATCH). The concept of the university involves to provide researchers with a comprehensive characterization of their materials in one central laboratory. Various institutes in the school of natural sciences, the department for mathematics and physics and the faculty of engineering have declared their demand. There is also interest for such a core facility outside of the university, e.g. considering the cooperation with the Hanover Medical School.Electron microscopy (TEM and SEM) is pivotal for the analysis of chemical materials. Hence, we are planning a combined purchase of both devices for cfMATCH. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), the subject here, is to be optimized specifically to the needs that arise for soft matter with a relatively high proportion of organic components constituents. This often results in low electrical conductivity, which is usually compensated for by sputter coating with a metallic film, but this can result in the loss of information in the case of complex materials such as hybrids. Therefore, a device should be procured that works with extremely high resolution (sub-nm range) without the need for a conductive coating and thus offers the highest performance even at very low acceleration voltages or charge energy. Because many of the relevant materials exhibit a hierarchical nanostructure and complex distribution patterns of chemical elements, great emphasis is put on enormously powerful, spatially resolved elemental analysis using energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX). Concrete cases for the SEM comprise the investigation of the shape of and element distribution in (doped) nanoparticles and the topology of particle-based materials prepared by the assembly of the latter, colloidal glasses and aerogels, functional gradient materials, implant surfaces, nanostructured sensor materials, mineralization processes and morphologies of crystals, thermoelectric fibers and 2-D heterostructures.