Welcome to the ASU Core Facilities Newsletter. We are ready to support all your research goals. Please follow our LinkedIn page for additional resources and community information.
The EMC provides open access to advanced tools for materials characterization, structural and surface analysis, elemental composition and high-resolution microscopy. The center supports diverse research in physics, chemistry, life sciences, environmental sciences and engineering.
50 years of discovery
Attendees of the EMC Golden Anniversary Celebration gathered in front of Old Main to mark this special occasion on March 7th.
For more than 50 years, EMC has trained researchers on electron microscopes and other tools—many now lead labs in academia, government and industry. Companies use the instruments for R&D across sectors like microelectronics, aerospace, energy and healthcare.
🔬 The Center for High Resolution Electron Microscopy (CHREM) provides access to advanced electron microscopes capable of probing materials at the atomic level. Researchers utilize these instruments to analyze the physical, electronic and chemical properties of matter with unmatched precision.
🧪 The Life Science Electron Microscopy Facility (LSEMF) offers vibration-isolated spaces and specialized equipment for high-quality electron microscopy. It supports life sciences and beyond, providing tools to both campus and external researchers.
⚛️ The Goldwater Materials Science Facility (GMSF) delivers a set of techniques for analyzing the structural, optical and chemical properties of materials. With tools like X-ray diffraction and atomic force microscopy, GMSF is a key resource for material synthesis and analysis.
Funding from DOE PI Zach Holman, this latest generation AFM accommodates a wide range of samples (up to 200 mm, or approximately 8") in ambient conditions and features four advanced modules for a wide range of electrical modes:
Scanning Capacitance Microscopy (SCM) for simultaneous topographic imaging.
2D carrier density mapping on the surface of semiconductor samples.
PeakForce TUNA (PF-TUNA) to probe conductivity of robust or fragile samples with high sensitivity.
High-Voltage Kelvin Probe Force Microscopy (HV-KPFM) to map the surface potential over a broader range of samples.
The instrument is also equipped with a Signal Access Module (SAM) which makes accessible non-standard or custom modes. This versatile tool is poised to accelerate research in semiconductors, polymers, energy storage and more.
Funded by the FORCE grant PI Leinenweber, the new FT-IR instrument is now available to both high-pressure and broader research communities. In just a few weeks, it has been used to study volcanic glasses, multi-anvil samples, silicon wafers, thin films, polymers, liquids and more. This equipment allows analysis of areas as small as 5 µm and rapid imaging. An upcoming upgrade will extend the diamond ATR range down to 100 cm⁻¹ — ideal for inorganic and pharmaceutical research.
John M. Cowley Center for High Resolution Electron Microscopy (CHREM) Core
ASU receives funding for upgrades to Krios G2
The National Institutes of Health awarded Dr. Po-Lin Chiu at ASU School of Molecular Sciences Center for Applied Structural Discovery two million dollars for thepurchase of a new imaging systems the cyrogenic TEM.
The upgraded camera Falcon 4i and the electron energy filter Selectris X will improve throughput as well as obtainable resolution on the 9 years old Krios G2.
Data collection rate shortening time need for atomic resolution structure to a single day from previous workflows.
Resolutions of 1.4 Angstrom from TEM reconstructions (compared to past limitations were at 2.1 Angstrom).
Selectris X and Falcon 4i being installed on Krios G2 on March 11th 2025 in the ACEM of the EMC
The acquisitions of Nanomill from Fishione Inc.
Funded by DOE PI Zach Holman, the Fischione Model 1040 NanoMill TEM specimen preparation system is an outstanding tool for producing ultra-thin, high-quality samples required for TEM imaging and analysis.
The system features a variable-energy ion source capable of operating at energies as low as 50 eV. At higher energies, it delivers a focused beam as small as 1 µm, allowing for the precise removal of amorphized layers, ion implantation or redeposited material from specific regions.
NanoMill’s most valuable applications is post-focused ion beam (FIB) processing. While FIB is highly effective for preparing TEM lamellae, its use of a gallium (Ga) liquid metal ion source frequently introduces damage—such as amorphization and Ga implantation—resulting in affected layers up to 10–30 nm thick.
The NanoMill is specifically designed to eliminate these damage layers, restoring pristine sample quality. Using the NanoMill to refine FIB-prepared TEM lamellae will enable more accurate atomic-scale characterization of battery materials and other advanced systems.
Authors: Xueyan Lin, Wenyue Li, Vy Nguyen, Shu Wang, Shize Yang, Lu Ma, Yonghua Du, Bin Wang, Zhaoyang Fan.
Abstract
Lithium–sulfur batteries (LSBs) offer high capacity but are limited by slow redox kinetics and LiPS shuttle effects. To address this, researchers designed a freestanding cathode using Fe single-atom catalysts embedded in N-doped carbon nanocages. This structure enhances redox kinetics, suppresses shuttle effects and improves performance.
Introduction
Single-atom catalysts (SACs), especially when atomically anchored in nitrogen-doped carbon frameworks, can significantly improve redox kinetics by stabilizing lithium polysulfides and lowering energy barriers. However, integrating SACs into lightweight, freestanding architectures remains underexplored, motivating the need for new cathode designs.
Conclusion
Electrochemical analysis and DFT calculations confirmed that Fe-SACs enhance redox kinetics by lowering energy barriers and accelerating sulfur conversion reactions. As a result, the FeSA-NC@CBC/S cathode achieved excellent capacity retention and cycling stability, with a low decay rate of 0.042% per cycle over 500 cycles.
The EMC and the METAL proudly support this research by providing access to their advanced equipment and expert lab resources.
