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The microscope will support research across the university's departments and divisions. It was officially launched during the 100th birthday celebrations of Professor Sir Peter Hirsch, one of the university's foremost materials scientists. Professor Hirsch was head of Oxford’s Department of Materials from 1966 until 1992, and was knighted in 1975.
Housed in the David Cockayne Centre for Electron Microscopy, the 3.5-metre high microscope will help researchers to obtain the highest possible imaging data of samples. Using beams of electrons accelerated to up to 300 kV, the new GrandARM300F microscope is capable of magnifying samples up to 50 million times, enabling single atoms to be visualised.
The microscope was officially opened by the university's vice-chancellor, Professor Irene Tracey, on Monday, March 17. A key attribute of the GrandARM300F is its versatility, being able to rapidly switch between different modes. This allows researchers to capture different forms of information on the same sample in real-time.
The GrandARM300F has also been specially designed to analyse ‘beam-sensitive’ samples that are highly susceptible to degradation. It include a cryogenic mode that can cool samples down to the temperature of liquid nitrogen, which is around -190°C, and highly precise electron beam control, allowing it to be reduced to as little as 60 kV. Dr Neil Young, senior electron microscope facility manager for the David Cockayne Centre for Electron Microscopy, said: "The new microscope is designed to enable users to quickly switch between modes and techniques.
"This provides multi-modal datasets, elevating the characterisation of materials to new levels. "Furthermore, the microscope is optimised for low-dose and low-voltage studies, allowing us to analyse sensitive samples which would otherwise be damaged by the electron beam." The GrandARM300F will support university research across a range of strategic areas, including energy materials for the net zero transition, drug delivery systems, disease mechanisms in biological tissues, carbon capture, elemental analysis, semiconductor research, polymer research, and metal-organic frameworks.
Dr Gerardo Martinez, transmission electron microscopy support scientist for the David Cockayne Centre for Electron Microscopy, said: "Besides high-end research, this new microscope will also play a vital role in teaching and training the microscopists of the future. "There are few other places in the world where students have the opportunity to operate a transmission electron microscope microscope of this calibre themselves, giving an immensely valuable learning experience." As with the other instruments within the David Cockayne Centre, the GrandARM300F is also available for external researchers to use.
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