An atomic resolution image of a Pd core/Pt shell catalyst nanoparticle showing the Pt shell. The particle is approximately 5 nanometres in diameter.
Image by Professor Peter Nellist
The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) has awarded £2.1m to the Universities of Oxford, Bristol and Southampton for a state-of-the-art analytical electron microscope, as part of its Strategic Equipment initiative. The award followed a presentation made by Professors Chris Grovenor and Peter Nellist (Oxford) and Professor David Cherns (Bristol), to an EPSRC evaluation panel. The total cost of the microscope includes contributions from the universities of Oxford and Bristol and the electron microscope manufacturer. It will be an aberration corrected high resolution transmission electron microscope combined with state-of-the-art microanalytical facilities, which will allow elemental microanalysis to be carried out at atomic resolution.
The microscope, which should be commissioned during the first quarter of 2014, is to be located at Oxford, with usage jointly managed by the grant partners. A wide range of Bristol researchers will be able to use the instrument for extended periods, with EPSRC funding awarded to cover travel and accommodation costs over the four year grant period.
The microscope will allow researchers to carry out state-of-the-art research on a wide range of advanced materials, including semiconductors, nanomaterials and nuclear materials, and to examine, in-situ, changes in chemistry and structure at the nanoscale. The programmes of the Bristol grant partners, Professor David Cherns and Dr Peter Flewitt from the School of Physics, include work on new materials for nanostructured solar cells and light emitting diodes, and on understanding the role of impurities in controlling the mechanical properties of structural alloys.
The application, purchase and use of this high cost instrument is another example of the benefits of developing partnerships with other universities, building on the recently formed Bristol-Oxford Nuclear Research Centre. Access to these facilities will strengthen the ability of Bristol researchers to seek new world leading research projects/ contracts from the Funding Councils and industrial groups.
Please follow links to find out more about Bristol's Micro- and nanostructural materials group and Interface Analysis Centre.