Environmental and in-situ scanning electron microscope

汉堡理工大学朝着成为一个具有卓越研究能力的可持续发展机构的方向，明确了新的研究结构，包括五个战略研究领域。其中几个领域，例如“先进材料和（生物）工艺”和“环境和能源系统”直接反映在目前计划的大型研究项目中，合作研究中心1615“智能反应堆”，联邦卓越集群“BlueMat：水驱动材料”和研究培训组2462“自然和工程颗粒流体系统的过程”的扩展。这些项目和本提案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。这些项目对微观层面的样品研究的关键要求包括，除了潮湿的环境外，温度范围从-20 °C到1400 °C的氧化和还原条件。为了确保这样的调查，环境和原位扫描电子显微镜是必需的。特别是通过场发射阴极和特殊的保持器在扫描透射模式下进行具有几纳米结构分辨率的电子透明样品的温度和气体控制实验的可能性是分析纳米多孔系统（例如气凝胶）的必要条件。此外，电子透明的建筑材料或纳米多孔硅样品的润湿研究仅在环境和原位扫描电子显微镜中使用扫描透射模式是可能的，并且使用例如用于透射电子显微镜的原位液体保持器是不可行的。此外，为了即使在高温和分压下也能实现改善的图像质量，需要借助于吸收的电子束电流进行成像。质谱仪是持续监测气体环境的重要组成部分。电子显微镜组是汉堡理工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，配备了功能强大的电子显微镜以及样品制备和断层扫描设备，这是开展竞争性研究的关键先决条件，例如986合作研究中心。许多当前和未来的材料科学、工艺工程和建筑材料技术研究项目都以高性能电子显微镜为基础，以个人或联合项目的形式进行。随着环境和原位扫描电子显微镜应用于这里，它将有可能进行计划的研究项目，依赖于在不断变化的环境条件下的样品系统的分析。

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.