The newly established research line, “Electron spectroscopy and nanoscopy”, will develop and apply advanced electron microscopy techniques for the study of nanomaterials and devices. The current trend in developing new detectors for electron microscopy is a game-changer for the analysis of classes of materials that have been so far too challenging, like hybrid perovskites and metal-organic frameworks. Combined with synergies in microscopy techniques between life and physical sciences, such as routine cryogenic operation and dose-efficient acquisition software, these innovations will unlock impactful research in fields that are highly relevant to the research lines at the IIT. 
The research will span different fields, with a focus on materials for energy applications. Exploiting the state-of-the-art Spectra TEM that has recently been installed at IIT, as well as the existing facilities, we will push the state of the art in the investigation of electron-sensitive materials.

We are based at the heart of the Italian Institute of Technology in a laboratory hosting a ThermoFisher Spectra 300 S/TEM. This is currently a world-leading instrument and features aberration correctors on both the objective and the condenser lenses, as well as ThermoFisher’s best monochromator, which can provide a beam with an energy dispersion as low as 30 meV. The TEM also features a Gatan K3 direct electron detector, allowing the acquisition of data with excellent signal collection efficiency. The S/TEM setup is very versatile and can be used for a variety of advanced microscopy techniques, including HRSTEM, HRTEM, EELS, EDX, as well as enabling in situ experiments through a suite of holders for heating, cooling and biasing.
The research line also has access to IIT’s Electron Microscopy facility, featuring both workhorse microscopes and advanced SEMs and TEMs (including an aberration corrected JEOL2200FS).

• Electron Microscopy Group, Department of Materials Science & Metallurgy, University of Cambridge, UK (Prof. Cate Ducati, Prof. Paul Midgley)
• Department of Materials Science & Metallurgy, University of Cambridge, UK (Dr. Tom Bennett)
• Optoelectronics group, Cavendish Laboratory, University of Cambridge, UK (Prof. Sir Richard Friend, Dr. Sam Stranks)
• Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Cambridge (UK) (Dr. Sam Stranks, Dr. David Fairen-Jimenez)
• Universita’ di Roma Tor Vergata, Roma (Prof. Aldo Di Carlo)
• Politecnico di Torino, Torino (Prof. Valentina Casalegno)
• CNST@PoliMi (Dr. Fabio Di Fonzo)