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Project

Fast and efficient electron tomography for high-throughput, nondestructive and real-time three-dimensional imaging.

Electron tomography has evolved into a powerful technique to study the three-dimensional (3D) structure of nanomaterials. However, a major drawback is the total run time that is required to obtain the necessary 2D projection images, to align them and to compute the final 3D reconstruction. Since more than 3 hours are required to study a single nanoparticle in 3D, it is impossible to obtain a large set of measurements, required to connect the structure of nanomaterials to their properties. Also the 3D study of electron beam sensitive materials and realtime 3D studies are hampered. Here, I will reduce the run time of electron tomography by a factor of 100. I will reach this goal by combining novel acquisition procedures with dedicated 3D reconstruction algorithms. This will enable us to perform a whole new range of experiments. For example, by applying highthroughput electron tomography, changes in the (surface) structure of catalytic nanoparticles before and after cycling can be quantified. The reduced acquisition time and electron dose will allow the 3D investigation of zeolites or metalorganic frameworks. Since quasi real-time 3D imaging at the electron microscope will be possible with a temporal resolution of a few minutes, 3D experiments can be performed in a much more efficient manner and morphology changes as a function of heating can be investigated. We therefore consider this project as the next (r)evolution in the field of electron tomography.
Date:1 Oct 2016 →  31 Dec 2016
Keywords:ELECTRON TOMOGRAPHY
Disciplines:Condensed matter physics and nanophysics
Project type:Collaboration project