microscopy

An added detector on an electron microscope can aid in determining which molecules are found in which parts of a cell, scientists at the UMCG and Delft University of Technology report. Ben Giepmans, the team leader from Groningen, explains: Electron microscopes can zoom in minute detail, making the tiniest structures in a cell visible. They are therefore much more precise than optical microscopes, which have been around for much longer. [Read More]

A new technique called “photo-induced force microscopy,” which probes the optical properties of nanomaterials by measuring the physical force imparted by light, is being tested by scientists at Rice University. Isabell Thomann’s primary research centers on using nanoparticles and sunlight to reduce the carbon footprint of power plants. A major focus is photocatalysis, a class of processes in which light interacts with high-tech materials to drive chemical reactions. says Thomann, an assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering, materials science, nanoengineering, and chemistry at Rice University. [Read More]

A method of controlling electron emissions with higher precision than ever before has been developed by researchers at Vienna University of Technology, together with colleagues from the FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg in Germany. In an electron microscope, electrons are emitted by pointy metal tips, so they can be steered and controlled with high precision. Recently, such metal tips have also been used as high precision electron sources for generating X-rays. With the help of two laser pulses, it is now possible to switch the flow of electrons on and off on extremely short time scales. [Read More]

A new technique from microscopy researchers at North Carolina State University accounts for tiny movements and eliminates resulting distortion from the finished product. When capturing images at the atomic scale, using scanning transmission electron microscopes (TEMs), even the most miniscule movements of a sample can cause skewed or distorted images. Such movements are virtually impossible to avoid. Scanning transmission electron microscopes are able to capture images of a material’s individual atoms. [Read More]