Facilities & Equipment immediately available:
Talos F200X:
Talos F200X is a 200kV scanning transmission electron microscope (STEM) that combines outstanding high-resolution STEM and TEM imaging. High-resolution field emission gun (FEG) provides 1.2 Å TEM resolution and 1.6 Å STEM resolution images. Talos F200X is a strong analytical instrument that delivers fast, precise, quantitative characterization of nanomaterials in multiple dimensions. It equips with 4 in-column SDD EDS detectors, post-column energy-filtered and a high-speed CMOS camera, enabling efficient collection of EDS, EELS and 4D STEM datasets, respectively. The attached Velox imaging and analysis software can also perform 3D structure reconstruction and visualization.
Themis Environmental Transmission Electron Microscope (ETEM):
Themis ETEM is an atomic resolution TEM for materials analysis with an environmental mode for in-situ TEM studies. Themis ETEM combines both standard TEM/STEM and dedicated environmental TEM capabilities for time-resolved, in situ studies of the dynamic behaviour of nanomaterials.
LEO Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM):
LEO SEM include GEMINI hot cathode field emission column emitter, super resolution and high image quality at low operating voltage, wide operating voltage range 1kV to 30 KV, high probe current and stability for fast X-ray analysis, in-lens annular detector for bright, clear surface-specific image, EDS system for elemental analysis and mapping, and EBSD for microtexture determination.
Quanta 200 Dual-beam Focus Ion Beam (FIB)
The Quanta 200 Dual-beam FIB/SEM is to analyse cross sections and 3D imaging of samples at nanoscales. This facility will also be used to prepare thin TEM samples for atomic-resolution characterisations.
QXi X-ray Photoelectron Spectrometer (XPS):
XPS is a surface-sensitive quantitative spectroscopic technique based on the photoelectric effect that can identify the composition and chemistry at materials’ surface.
Netzsch Differential Scanning Calorimeter (DSC):
DSC measures heat flow associated with thermal transitions of a material at a controlled temperature program and is used for the determination of melting and glass transition temperatures, the grade of crystallization, heat capacity, phase transitions, decomposition points and for the kinetic consideration of chemical processes.
Micrometritics Surface Area and Porosimetry System (BET):
Micrometritics deliveries a high-performance adsorption analyser for measuring surface area, pore size, and pore volume of powders and porous materials.
Cameca LEAP 6000 XR Atom Probe Tomography (APT):
APT is the only material analysis technique offering extensive capabilities for both 3D imaging and chemical composition measurements at the atomic scale (around 0.1-0.3nm resolution in depth and 0.3-0.5nm laterally).
Bruker D8 VENTURE X-ray Diffractometers (XRD):
The facility is a cutting-edge X-ray diffraction system that plays a crucial role in advanced materials characterization. This versatile enables precise structural analysis of crystalline materials.
Small and wide angle X-ray scattering system:
The Xeuss 3.0 HR small and wide angle X-ray scattering system allows the simultaneous measurement of the scattering intensity at small scattering angles (SAXS) and at larger scattering angles (WAXS) using 2D “Hybrid Single Photon Counting” detectors. Special features are the detector positions within the vacuum tube, which can be adjusted in all spatial directions, as well as the automatically adjustable beam collimation between 50 µm and 2000 µm beam size. This enables a particularly high level of flexibility in choosing the measurable scattering angle range, the achievable resolution and the achievable data quality.
Glovebox:
Gloveboxes are filled with Ar and used for cell assembling. The department has several gloveboxes that the PI can access to make cells and prepare air-sensitive samples.
Facilities details refer to:
https://emunit.hku.hk/#/pages/facilities/facilities.php?area=3
https://emunit.hku.hk/#/pages/facilities/facilities.php?area=5
https://emunit.hku.hk/#/pages/facilities/facilities.php?area=6
https://emunit.hku.hk/#/pages/facilities/facilities.php?area=7
https://emunit.hku.hk/#/pages/facilities/facilities.php?area=9
https://emunit.hku.hk/#/pages/facilities/facilities.php?area=10
Open-sources Software:
Hpyerspy
HyperSpy is an open source Python toolbox facilitating the (interactive) analysis of multi-dimensional datasets (hyperspectral images) that has over time grown into an ecosystem including different extension packages dedicated to certain experimental methods. The development of HyperSpy has been motivated by the data analysis needs of the electron microscopy community, but in the meantime it is proving useful in many other fields. ref=“https://hyperspy.org/index.html"
py4DSTEM
py4DSTEM is an open source set of python tools for processing and analysis of four-dimensional scanning transmission electron microscopy (4D-STEM) data.
Link: link
pyPtychoSTEM
Open source Python code for processing 4D-STEM data, including direct electron ptychography methods. © Timothy J. Pennycook, 2025
Link: link