In-situ heating experiments in TEM/STEM

Abstract

In-situ heating experiment performed in the scanning/ transmission electron microscopes (STEM/TEM) allows us to directly observe the dynamic behaviors of the materials with sizes ranging from micron- to atomic level in real time. The Materials Characterization Facilities (MCF) at IEN currently has two microscopes (FEI Tecnai F30 and Hitachi HD2700) with in-situ heating capabilities. The TEM techniques including (large-scale or atomic) imaging, phase/elemental analysis and diffraction that we could perform in those facilities for in-situ heating will be introduced briefly. A few examples made by the users and manufactures will be given to show how useful the in-situ heating experiments can help us to understand the structural evolution of materials fundamentally. Finally, it will be discussed a strategy to deal with preparation of TEM samples for high temperature heating.