Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE120100229
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$250,000.00
Summary
A prototype Scanning Helium Atom Microscope (SHeM) for soft materials. The scanning helium atom microscope (SHeM) has been a tantalising prospect since the birth of quantum physics. The SHeM would have unparalleled resolution and would be completely non-damaging; potentially revolutionising the imaging of soft delicate materials. This project will develop the first SHeM instrument in Australia to study soft matter.
Phonon based condensed matter imaging. This project will exploit observations of phonon-based chemical contrast in the SHeM to determine the physics that underpins the imaging mechanism and use them to probe vibrational processes in condensed matter imaging. Imaging is an essential tool for the discovery, application and fabrication of new materials, structures and devices. However, many delicate structures are irrevocably degraded and changed when imaged using conventional microscopy. This team ....Phonon based condensed matter imaging. This project will exploit observations of phonon-based chemical contrast in the SHeM to determine the physics that underpins the imaging mechanism and use them to probe vibrational processes in condensed matter imaging. Imaging is an essential tool for the discovery, application and fabrication of new materials, structures and devices. However, many delicate structures are irrevocably degraded and changed when imaged using conventional microscopy. This team recently invented the scanning helium atom microscope (SHeM), which can image surfaces non-destructively with nanoscale resolution. They will use the SHeM to determine the new fundamental physics that underpins the imaging mechanism. Outcomes include turning SHeM into a tool that materials and biological scientists can use in laboratories worldwide.Read moreRead less
Novel advances in sub-nanometer imaging. After two decades of research the first wave of applications in nanotechnology and nanobiology is breaking. Immediately key to further progress in both areas is the ability to characterise the structure of such systems and also their evolution on very short time scales. This research project places Australia at the forefront in this endeavour.
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE130100739
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$354,958.00
Summary
Deterministic coherent diffractive imaging for the nanosciences. The technological trend towards nanoscale device fabrication demands picoscale measurements which will only be possible with the development of novel and advanced imaging techniques. This project will develop and implement cutting edge approaches to lensless imaging using both electrons and x-rays and will enable real-time imaging at the picoscale.
Complex Interfaces and Solid-State Precipitation in Advanced Materials. Solid-state precipitates are key features of the microstructures of many natural and artificial materials and govern their properties. Yet understanding, let alone designing, the microstructures of materials remains a formidable challenge. The recent discovery of a new class of embedded interfaces in aluminium alloys offers the prospect of determining the atomic-scale mechanisms of precipitation. This project aims to apply t ....Complex Interfaces and Solid-State Precipitation in Advanced Materials. Solid-state precipitates are key features of the microstructures of many natural and artificial materials and govern their properties. Yet understanding, let alone designing, the microstructures of materials remains a formidable challenge. The recent discovery of a new class of embedded interfaces in aluminium alloys offers the prospect of determining the atomic-scale mechanisms of precipitation. This project aims to apply the latest microscopy and computational techniques synergistically to characterise such interfaces and develop atomic-scale mechanisms of nucleation and growth in model alloy systems. It is expected that this work will constitute a major step towards practical control of solid-state precipitation in technologically important materials.Read moreRead less
Enabling semiconductor nanowire technologies via 3D atomic-scale insight. Semiconductor nanowires (NWs) are nanotechnology building blocks that have the potential to transform solar cells, light emitting diodes, lasers and transistors, creating new industries in communications, energy and healthcare. The industrial development of NWs has been blocked by uncertainties in the relationships between their growth conditions, properties and atomic-scale structure. This project will address this chall ....Enabling semiconductor nanowire technologies via 3D atomic-scale insight. Semiconductor nanowires (NWs) are nanotechnology building blocks that have the potential to transform solar cells, light emitting diodes, lasers and transistors, creating new industries in communications, energy and healthcare. The industrial development of NWs has been blocked by uncertainties in the relationships between their growth conditions, properties and atomic-scale structure. This project will address this challenge by establishing a rigorous framework for these relationships. The project aims to achieve this by harnessing the unique power of atom probe microscopy to reveal the NW structure in three dimensions, and at atomic-resolution. The project aims to place Australian research at the frontier of development of these future industries.Read moreRead less
Making every electron count in atomic resolution microscopy. The development of aberration-corrected electron microscopy, which allows individual atom imaging with unprecedented precision, was recognised by the 2011 Wolf Prize in Physics. However, only a very limited amount of the wealth of information obtainable from such microscopes is currently exploited. By collecting a maximal data set of electrons scattered in manifold different ways and using the fundamental theory of electron-specimen in ....Making every electron count in atomic resolution microscopy. The development of aberration-corrected electron microscopy, which allows individual atom imaging with unprecedented precision, was recognised by the 2011 Wolf Prize in Physics. However, only a very limited amount of the wealth of information obtainable from such microscopes is currently exploited. By collecting a maximal data set of electrons scattered in manifold different ways and using the fundamental theory of electron-specimen interaction, this project will realise the huge potential of this untapped data. This will improve the utility of scanning transmission electron microscopy far beyond its current level. Applying these new techniques will expand our understanding of the structure and function of advanced materials.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE170100118
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,800,000.00
Summary
UltraTEM: Resolving the structure of matter in space, energy and time. This project aims to establish a transmission electron microscope facility to analyse materials structure at the atomic level. A small number of atoms in critical locations governs the properties of materials from solar cells and catalysts to aerospace alloys, bio-sensors and quantum computers. To understand and engineer matter at this atomic level, tools are needed to characterise these critical atoms. This open access, nati ....UltraTEM: Resolving the structure of matter in space, energy and time. This project aims to establish a transmission electron microscope facility to analyse materials structure at the atomic level. A small number of atoms in critical locations governs the properties of materials from solar cells and catalysts to aerospace alloys, bio-sensors and quantum computers. To understand and engineer matter at this atomic level, tools are needed to characterise these critical atoms. This open access, national facility will be able to characterise matter at the atomic-level. Expected outcomes include better understanding of the natural world and advanced materials to solve problems in energy, technology, health, environment, communications, advanced manufacturing, transport and security.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE200100132
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,486,000.00
Summary
A triple beam microscope: new frontiers in materials nanocharacterisation. This project aims to establish a triple beam ion and electron microscope facility for the modification, preparation and characterisation of materials that have hitherto been too sensitive for high resolution analysis with charged particle beams. It is expected that materials will be studied artefact-free and at the nanoscale with twin ion beams and new detectors that allow novel imaging modes and extreme chemical sensitiv ....A triple beam microscope: new frontiers in materials nanocharacterisation. This project aims to establish a triple beam ion and electron microscope facility for the modification, preparation and characterisation of materials that have hitherto been too sensitive for high resolution analysis with charged particle beams. It is expected that materials will be studied artefact-free and at the nanoscale with twin ion beams and new detectors that allow novel imaging modes and extreme chemical sensitivity plus controlled atmosphere transfer to other instruments for correlative measurements. This unique facility should benefit research in many disciplines such as physics, chemistry, geology, pharmacy, materials, civil and chemical engineering by allowing first-ever observations of vital phenomena in diverse materials.Read moreRead less
Imaging light elements, dopants and vacancies. This project will pioneer techniques for seeing light atoms, such as oxygen in superconductors and lithium in lithium battery materials. Coming to understand the function of light elements in advanced materials is vital as such materials play a pivotal role in meeting the pressing challenges that beset us in energy management.