UrFU Chemists Acquired a New Electronic Microscope With a Tens of Thousands of Times Magnification Rate

12:41, June 4, 2021

The equipment allows the study of the new materials morphology at the sub micro level

The Department of Technology of Electrochemical Production under the program of updating the instrumental base of the Ural Federal University acquired a scanning electron microscope, which allows to study objects with a magnification of tens of thousands of times. With this microscope, scientists will be able to microscale the morphology of a variety of materials, including powders, metals, and other solid objects.

“By acting on the investigated object with a focused electron beam, we obtain data on the surface topography, compositional contrast, as well as on the elemental composition of microcomponents,” says Anna Kasyanova, junior researcher at the scientific laboratory of electrochemical devices and materials of the Ural Federal University. - The attachment for energy dispersive analysis allows you to perform surface mapping, that is, to obtain data on the distribution of elements over the sample surface. A distinctive feature of this device is the ability to obtain images of the surface and analyze the elemental composition in real time in one software window, which significantly reduces the duration and simplifies the analysis. The use of this device will improve the quality of scientific research. "

According to Anna, the research method practically does not destroy the material and requires minimal sample preparation. In the microscope, you can see solid materials that can withstand the evacuation process.

It should be noted that the staff of the department, together with colleagues from the Institute of High-Temperature Chemistry of the Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, are working on the creation of new materials for solid oxide electrolyzers and fuel cells. With the help of a microscope, they obtain enlarged images of the fracture of single elements of electrochemical devices, examine the interface, adhesion and microstructural characteristics of functional layers.