The accurate characterisation of nanoparticles is increasingly important for advancing research in wide range of cross-disciplinary science, including chemical catalysts, semiconductors and biomaterials. For example, the automotive, pharmaceutical and energy industrial sectors all heavily rely on the application of catalysts, and the demands placed on their performance are increasingly extreme. However, the microanalysis of nanoparticles is generally very challenging across all microscopy techniques and can limit insights available to underpin the design and manufacture of new improved materials.
In this project novel atom probe tomography (APT) techniques will be developed to enable the characterisation of a variety of nanoparticles with relevance across a range of scientific fields. APT is a uniquely powerful type of microscopy, providing chemical identification and 3D spatial location of individual atoms within the specimen. This is information critical to understanding nanoparticle properties, and is needed by our academic and industrial collaborators in designing the next generation of new and more effective catalyst, semiconductor and bio- materials nanoparticles.
