X-ray and electronic microscopy platform

Transmission electron microscopy (STEM) and the associated analytic techniques (EDX, SAED, EELS, High-Resolution TEM/STEM, EFTEM, HAADF, ABF) have taken a new boom with the development of specific TEM object-holders allowing the carrying out of in situ experiments. These devices allow direct monitoring of electrochemical reactions, the transformation into crystalized phases, the kinetics of chemical species formation and the movement of nanometric objects in fluids.

The RS2E bought a liquid/electric TEM object-holder (Poseidon 510 – Protochips) allowing the direct observation of electrode materials immersed in an electrolyte during the electrochemical cycling and giving essential information about the associated reactional mechanisms.

The RS2E microscopy platform also has access to several microscopes corrected for spherical aberration (probe and/or image) and equipped with monochromator (RS2E, METSA, ESTEEMS networks). Therefore, advanced transmission electronic microscopy can be performed using cutting-edge techniques such as high-resolution HAADF-STEM, EDX-STEM cartography with 4-quadrant detection, EELS-STEM (spectrum picture) in dual-EELS detection and high-resolution TEM Cs image.

X-ray transmission microscopy (TXM) based on synchrotron radiation (APS, ESRF) has been recently developed within the platform. This imaging technique coupled with a tomography device is a very powerful tool for exploring the 3D structure of the electrodes on a microscopic (µ-CT, spatial resolution of 500 µm) and nanometric (nano-CT, spatial resolution of 20 nm)) scale. TXM tomography can also be combined with X-ray absorption spectroscopic techniques to observe chemical changes inside the 3D structure.

Funded by the RS2E

• Human resources

Arnaud Demortière, CR1 CNRS, in charge of the platform

• Equipment
  • 1 (S)TEM FEI-Tecnai 200keV (FEG)
  • 1 (S)TEM JEOL-ARM200F 200keV (cold FEG) corrected Cs objective lens
  • 1 environmental SEM-FEG FEI-Quanta200 
  • 3 object-holders TEM (liquid/electric, cryogenic/tomographic, transfer)
  • 2 TEM sample preparation systems (Cryo ultramicrotome and PIPS)

Other funds

• Human resources
  • CR1 CNRS : Arnaud Demortière, LRCS/RS2E
  • Pr. UPJV : Loic Dupont, LRCS
  • McF UPJV : Carine Davoisne, LRCS
  • IR CNRS : Loic Duval, IS2M
  • Technician CNRS : Stephan Knopf, IS2M