Transmission electron microscopy centre

The national centre for high resolution electron microscopy (nCHREM) houses transmission electron microscopes, with ancillary equipment, for atomic-scale characterization of structure and composition of materials. We are located at Kemicentrum on the LTH Lund University campus.

In-house expertise

We are experts in the use of transmission electron microscopy (TEM) for characterizing hard materials as well as in the use of cryo-TEM for characterizing hydrated soft- and biological materials. We can assist users all the way from sample preparation to reporting results, but also allow independent access for experienced users.

Equipment

• ETEM (300 kV Hitachi Environmental TEM 3300): high-end TEM equipped with high-speed camera, aberration corrector and energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer (XEDS) for compositional analysis. Samples can be heated up to ca. 1000 °C and exposed to gases. Resolution better than 0.1 nm.
• A-HRTEM (300 kV JEOL Analytical HR-TEM 3000F): good all-round microscope. Resolution in TEM imaging mode of ca. 0.17 nm. Equipped with XEDS for compositional analysis and elemental mapping.
• cryoTEM (200 kV JEOLCryo-TEM 2200FS): capable of imaging soft materials dispersed in (frozen) liquids. Large tilt range for tomography. Energy filter for light element mapping.
• SEM (JEOL 6700F): scanning electron microscope for surface characterization of macroscopic samples. EDX and back-scatter detector.
• Ancillary: cryo-plunger for preparation of liquid samples, various coaters for SEM samples, computers for off-line analysis of TEM images and spectra.

Typical users

Typical users of our facilities are academic research groups from within and outside Lund, as well as companies ranging from small start-ups all the way to large enterprises.

User skill requirements

Access is provided on three levels. For new and inexperienced users, our research engineers operate the instruments and can help with data analysis and reporting. After some training, users can operate the microscopes themselves with supervision from the research engineers. Experienced users can gain independent access and book the instruments themselves.

Fees

Information about fees for equipment and technical support are available on request.

Insurance & safety

When operated by our research engineers, no additional insurance or safety training is required for the visitor. Independent users are required to have insurance and safety training. Please contact us for more information.

Contact information

Crispin Hetherington

Manager of nCHREM
crispin.hetherington@chem.lu.se

Reine Walleberg

Professor, director of nCHREM
reine.wallenberg@chem.lu.se