Please, click on the technique to download the specifications datasheet if available. Also, click on the contact person if you require additional information.
| TECHNIQUE | INFORMATION REVEALED | CONTACT PERSON | ADDITIONAL COMMENTS |
|---|---|---|---|
| SCANNING ELECTRON MICROSCOPY (SEM) | External size and morphology (texture); Chemical Composition; Crystalline structure and orientation. Lateral resolution ≈ 5 nm | Access by research platform (service) Richard Clergereaux (LAPLACE, CNRS) | Ex-situ technique. Large amount of samples can be analyzed. Imaging available in scanning mode |
| TRANSMISSION ELECTRON MICROSCOPY (TEM) | Internal composition and morphology; crystallization, stress and magnetic domains. Lateral resolution ≈ 1 Å | Access by research platform (service) Richard Clergereaux (LAPLACE, CNRS) | Ex-situ technique. Much higher resolution than SEM. Analysis of small amount of samples. FIB milling to analyze the internal structure of large nanoparticles |
| ATOMIC FORCE MICROSCOPY (AFM) | Measure local properties with a tip typically topography but also others like surface potential in both conductors and insulators. Suits well in liquid gas environments and UHV combined with STM. Lateral resolution ≈ 10 nm (in air) | Lidia Martínez (ICMM-Surfaces, CSIC) - in air Javier Méndez (ICMM-Surfaces, CSIC) - controlled environment | Ex-situ technique. Vertical resolution down to 1 nm. Possibility of make in-situ for special samples |
| SCANNING TUNNELING MICROSCOPY (STM) | Measure local properties using quantum tunneling. Applicable to conductors. Lateral resolution ≈ 0,1 Å | Javier Méndez (ICMM-Surfaces, CSIC) | In-situ technique. Suitable for Vacuum Transfer System (VTS) |
Allows imaging at the so-called diffraction limit. Applied to the study of multicomponent polymeric systems in nanotechnology apart from many applications in biology, medicine, etc. | Access by beamtime application | Study of structural and |