Environmental and in-situ scanning electron microscope

汉堡工业大学的方向是成为一个具有卓越研究的可持续发展机构，这一方向显著地定义了新的研究结构，包括五个战略研究领域。其中几个领域，例如：“先进材料与（生物）工艺”和“环境与能源系统”直接反映在目前计划的大型研究项目中，1615合作研究中心“智能反应堆”，联邦卓越集群“BlueMat：水驱动材料”以及研究培训小组2462“自然和工程颗粒流体系统过程”的延伸。这些项目和本建议中描述的项目依赖于在参数动态变化的环境中对样本系统的分析。这些项目在微观水平上对样品调查的关键要求，除了潮湿的环境外，还包括在-20°C到1400°C的温度范围内氧化和还原条件。为了确保这样的调查，需要一个环境和原位扫描电子显微镜。特别是利用场发射阴极和特殊支架在扫描透射模式下对结构分辨率为几纳米的电子透明样品进行温度和气体控制实验的可能性，是分析纳米多孔体系（如气凝胶）的必要条件。此外，电子透明建筑材料或纳米多孔硅样品的润湿研究只能在环境和原位扫描电子显微镜中使用扫描传输模式，而不能使用例如透射电子显微镜的原位液体支架。此外，即使在高温和分压下，为了获得更好的图像质量，利用吸收电子束电流进行成像是必要的。质谱计是气体环境持续监测的重要组成部分。电子显微镜部门是汉堡工业大学电子显微镜的用户设备中心。自2011年以来，电子显微镜部门不断现代化，配备了强大的电子显微镜以及样品制备和断层扫描设备，这是实现竞争性研究的关键先决条件，例如986合作研究中心。在材料科学、工艺工程和建筑材料技术领域，许多当前和未来的研究项目都是以个人或联合项目的形式基于高性能电子显微镜的。随着环境原位扫描电镜在这里的应用，将有可能开展计划的研究项目，依赖于样品系统在变化的环境条件下的分析。

The direction of the Hamburg University of Technology towards becoming a sustainable institution with research excellence has significantly defined the new research structure with five strategic research fields. Several of these fields, e.g. "Advanced Materials & (Bio-) Processes" and "Environmental & Energy Systems" are directly reflected in the currently planned large-scale research projects, the Collaborative Research Center 1615 "Smart Reactors", the Federal Cluster of Excellence "BlueMat: Water-Driven Materials" and the extension of the Research Training Group 2462 "Processes in Natural and Engineered Particle-Fluid Systems". These projects and those described in this proposal rely on the analysis of sample systems in environments with dynamically changing parameters. Key requirements of these projects for sample investigations at the microscopic level include, in addition to humid environments, oxidizing and reducing conditions at temperatures ranging from -20 °C to 1400 °C. To ensure such investigations, an environmental and in-situ scanning electron microscope is required. Especially the possibility to perform temperature- and gas-controlled experiments of electron-transparent samples with a structural resolution of a few nanometers in scanning transmission mode by means of a field emission cathode and a special holder is a necessary condition for the analysis of nanoporous systems, such as aerogels. Also, wetting studies of electron-transparent building material or nanoporous silicon samples are only possible with scanning transmission mode in an environmental and in-situ scanning electron microscope and are not feasible with, for example, in-situ liquid holders for transmission electron microscopes. Additionally, to achieve an improved image quality even under high temperatures and partial pressures, imaging by means of absorbed electron beam current is necessary. A mass spectrometer is intended as an important component for constant monitoring of the gas environment. The Electron Microscopy Unit is the user-based equipment center for electron microscopy at Hamburg University of Technology. The continuous modernization of the Electron Microscopy Unit since 2011 with powerful electron microscopes as well as equipment for sample preparation and tomography was a key prerequisite to enable competitive research, e.g. for the Collaborative Research Center 986. Numerous current and future research projects in materials science, process engineering and building materials technology are based on high-performance electron microscopy in the form of individual or joint projects. With the environmental and in-situ scanning electron microscope applied for here, it will be possible to carry out the planned research projects that rely on the analysis of sample systems in changing environmental conditions.