EMU Newsletter April/May 2007 | EMU Newsletter April/May 2007 www.emu.usyd.edu.au NanoVic Arts Prize for Peter Liddicoat • Advancements in TEM Holder Design • The Retrospective of a PhD Student • Report from the 1st Australian Correlative Microscopy Workshop • Changes in the EMU’s Basement Area • Upcoming EMU Seminars ‘Rare Glimpse’ wins NanoVic Art Prize for Peter Liddicoat We are proud to announce that Peter Liddicoat, one of the EMU’s PhD students, has been awarded a $2000 NanoVic Science Prize for an image generated in the course of his scientific research endeavors. Peter won the prize for his work Fluidic Evolution of Nano-Particles; an image he decribes as a ‘rare glimpse’ that cap- tures an intimate moment between atoms in an aluminium alloy used by the aerospace industry. The inaugural Nanotechnology Victoria art prizes were presented on 9 April 2007 at the 5th World Conference of Science Journalists in Melbourne. The judges were excited by Peter’s atom probe tomography (ATP) image, which they described as intriguing and a challenging piece of research. They stated that this work was clearly state-of-the art at the nanometre scale and illustrated a difference in properties at this scale, showing the fluidity that exists between the solid and liquid state. ‘Fluidic Evolution of Nano-Particles’, an image revealed by atom probe tomography (ATP). Peter Liddicoat and the Imago local electron atom probe (LEAP ® ).
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EMU Newsletter April/May 2007 | �
EMUNewsletter April/May 2007
www.emu.usyd.edu.au
NanoVic Arts Prize for Peter Liddicoat • Advancements in TEM
Holder Design • The Retrospective of a PhD Student • Report from
the 1st Australian Correlative Microscopy Workshop • Changes in
the EMU’s Basement Area • Upcoming EMU Seminars
‘Rare Glimpse’ wins NanoVic Art Prize for Peter Liddicoat
We are proud to announce that Peter Liddicoat,
one of the EMU’s PhD students, has been
awarded a $2000 NanoVic Science Prize for an
image generated in the course of his scientific
research endeavors. Peter won the prize for his
work Fluidic Evolution of Nano-Particles; an
image he decribes as a ‘rare glimpse’ that cap-
tures an intimate moment between atoms in an
aluminium alloy used by the aerospace industry.
The inaugural Nanotechnology Victoria art
prizes were presented on �9 April 2007 at the
5th World Conference of Science Journalists in
Melbourne. The judges were excited by Peter’s
atom probe tomography (ATP) image, which
they described as intriguing and a challenging
piece of research. They stated that this work
was clearly state-of-the art at the nanometre
scale and illustrated a difference in properties
at this scale, showing the fluidity that exists
between the solid and liquid state.
‘Fluidic Evolution of Nano-Particles’, an image
revealed by atom probe tomography (ATP).
Peter Liddicoat and the Imago local
electron atom probe (LEAP®).
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Advancements in TEM Holder Design
On �7 and �8 April, the EMU hosted a 2-day
workshop on advanced TEM holder designs
held by Nanofactory Instruments and supported
by Thomson Scientific Instruments.
Typically, atomic force microscopy/scanning
tunneling microscopy and nano-indenting
experiments are done with scanning probe
microscopes and the specimens prepared
afterwards for further investigations in a
transmission electron microscope (TEM).
The workshop featured talks by the Nanofac-
tory Instruments CEO, Mikael von Dorrien, and
Executive Vice President, Dr Oleg Lourie, that
focussed on different holder designs and their
applications, followed by live demonstrations on
the EMU’s high-resolution JEOL 3000F TEM.
More information:
Peter Liddicoat
PhD Student
Tel. +6� 2 935� 7564
Approximately 20 participants from various
departments and institutes had the chance to
discuss their needs, watch live-demonstrations,
get hands-on experience with different holders
and run trial experiments with their own samples.
The workshop has been a great success, espe-
cially as various groups plan to include this kind of
instrumentation in upcoming grant applications.
Peter also impressed the jury with the quality of
the accompanying explanation piece. ‘Though
this sample is solid, this image illustrates to me
a life commonly associated with liquids,’ Peter
says. ‘This altered perception may help us in our
pursuit of materials design from the nanostruc-
ture up. Discovering the phenomenon captured
was exciting, granting us new insights into the
black art of metallurgy.’
More information:
Shaun Bulcock
Manager, TEM
Tel. +6� 2 935� 7529
Congratulations and well done, Peter!
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The Retrospective of a PhD Student:From Dr Michel Bosman
It all started quite peacefully – a materials engi-
neer who wanted to do a PhD project. A flame
was burning inside him, the knowledge that this
was probably going to be the only period in his
life when he would fully dedicate himself to only
one thing. One highly specialised subject in the
myriad of possibilities that the scientific commu-
nity has to offer. Because science, yeah, that’s
what separates us from the barbarians! Oh,
and art, of course. Yes, yes, and fair laws, equal
chances and the right to deny all the above.
So it began. I introduced myself to Dr Vicki
Keast, apologised for my hideous accent and
disappeared for more than three years. Dur-
ing that period, I did more than just hiding from
international intelligence agencies, and I would
like to share some of it with the reader.
Let me start answering the one question that
friends and family always seem to ask: ‘So, after
all that work, what have you invented?’ A good
question. After all, what did I contribute to soci-
ety, after they contributed so much to me? Allow
me to summarise my PhD work in nine sen-
tences and leave it up to you to judge, if indeed
it was worth it for society.
Electron microscopes are widely used to study the
structure and properties of materials. With a so-
called scanning transmission electron microscope
(STEM), the electrons are confined to a very small
diameter (less than a nanometre). This small beam
of electrons travels through a specimen, inter-
acts with it and loses some energy. The electron
energy-loss (EEL) spectrum that can be measured
contains physical and chemical information about
the very small specimen volume through which the
beam had traveled. In my work, large data sets of
EEL spectra were acquired from rectangular speci-
men areas. A method was developed to acquire
these data sets very efficiently, and then they were
analysed with conventional and with less conven-
tional techniques, principal component analysis, for
example.
Different types of specimen materials were
studied. For instance, it was shown that the sp2/
sp3 ratio of carbon allotropes could be mapped,
as well as lattice tensions in (In)GaN quantum
wells and (surface) plasmon excitations in gold
nanoparticles and carbon nanotubes. All this
information was mapped with a spatial resolution
of approximately one nanometre. This resolution Michel explaining the operation of a TEM
at the EMU’s annual Schools Open Days.
Three years of hard work
have resulted in Michel’s
PhD thesis ‘Mapping
materials properties with
EEL spectrum images’.
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is instrument-dependent; with better microscopes
such as the next-generation STEM in the UK, it was
even possible to map the chemistry of a material
at the atomic scale for the first time with EELS.
After 3.5 years, I finally received the nod from
my distinguished thesis examiners and came
out of my musty dungeon. The brightness of the
real-world still makes my eyes water. It was so
safe to geek over a single and highly-specialised
subject. But the time has come for me to take
the dummy out and give it back to ‘mother bird’
EMU and make my first brave steps into reality.
I would like to thank all my colleagues for the
pampering and good care, and I sincerely wish
my fellow PhD students all the best of luck!
More information:
Dr Michel Bosman
Research Assistant
Tel. +6� 2 935� 7552
Report from the 1st Australian Correlative Microscopy Workshop (ACMW)
On 4 April, the EMU held a workshop at the
Camperdown Campus of the University of
Sydney to discuss the possibilities of correlative
light and electron microscopy (CLEM), with an
emphasis on recent developments in com-
bined biomolecular imaging and consideration
of what remains to be done to bridge the gap
between sample preparation and microscopic
investigation. The workshop not only provided
the opportunity to share the user’s experience
and research results but also included hands-on
demonstrations.
The 40 participants who attended the one-day
workshop came from a wide range of back-
grounds. In the morning, the program featured
keynote seminars, breakout sessions with dem-
onstrations, and discussion periods with talks by
Dr Richard Powell from Nanoprobes (New York,
USA) and A/Prof. Filip Braet, from the EMU.
In the afternoon session, short research presen-
tations by Dr Debbie Barton, Dr Louise Cole and
Ms Kristina Jahn illustrated the power of CLEM
for the molecular analysis of the structure and
function of cells and tissues. This was followed
by hands-on experience of correlative imaging
probes in interactive demonstrations in which
the participants received practical tips on how
to find the same area of interest and how to
enhance the size of gold nanogold particles.
Based on its overall succes, a follow-up workshop
is being considered for late 2007 or early 2008.
Dr. Powell teaching workshop participants how to develop
fluoronanogold probes for correlative imaging purposes.
More information:
A/Prof. Filip Braet
Deputy Director
Tel. +6� 2 935� 76�9
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Changes in the EMU’s Basement Area
I am delighted to announce that the EMU’s
scanning probe (SPM) microscopy user group
has grown and with it so has their expertise.
Further, we are currently taking delivery of our
new near-field scanning optical microscope
(NSOM). As I type, its parts have just arrived
and the instrument is being set up.
Ellie Kable
Laboratory Manager
Tel. +6� 2 935� 7566
More information:
B3�, which formerly housed the image mock-
up computers, scanner, atom probe analysis
computer and printers, is being transformed into
the new NSOM and SPM laboratory.
The computers that could be found in B3� have
been moved to B37 (Imagelab) and the printers
are now located in B29.
As with all multi-user facilities, we must be
aware of the smooth running of all instruments
and the fact that not keeping things clean and
tidy can result in other users not having the
equipment in tip-top conditions for their experi-
ments. Please support us and always log your
sessions as well as the condition of the instru-
ment and surrounding areas.
In our next newsletter, we will have a detailed
section on new equipment. Also, watch this
space for the next lot of refurbishments. We are
planning to restructure large parts of the base-
ment area in the upcoming months. There are
exciting times ahead!
Courtyard
(Lower Ground Level)
Lift
B 9AB 8 B 12
B 26
B 30
B 35
B 35 A
B 33B
B 7D
B 1
1
B 13BB 13A
B 33
B 39
B 37A
B 27A
B 25
B 23B 22AB 22B
B 22DB 22C
B 31
B 29
B 28B
B 28A
B 21
B 24B
B 24A
B 34
Darkroom
B 33A
No Access
(Plant)
H
V
C
C
C
C
C
C
C
C
C
C
C
W
A
A
H
C
Fire Exit
Fire Exit
Fire Exit
B
B
B
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A/Prof. Filip Braet
Tel. +6� 2 935� 76�9
Editors
Dr Kyle Ratinac
Tel. +6� 2 935� 45�3
Ms Uli Eichhorn
Tel. +6� 2 935� 4493
The Electron Microscope UnitNanostructural Analysis Network Organisation
Major National Research Facility
The University of Sydney
NSW, 2006, Australia
Tel. + 6� 2 935� 235�
Fax + 6� 2 935� 7682
www.emu.usyd.edu.au
Ms Ellie Kable
Tel. +6� 2 935� 7566
More information:
Dr Arndt Meier
Research Associate
Tel. +6� 2 935� 7679
Dr Rongkun Zheng
Research Associate
Tel. +6� 2 935� 7542
EMU Seminar Series 2007
The first round of the EMU’s seminars for this
year have already been a great success. Forth-
coming talks are from Dr Jörg Bliefert of Bruker
BioSpin GmbH (Germany) and Dr Nagarajan
Valanoor of the University of New South Wales;
more seminars will follow during the course of
the year.
The seminar venue is room LG 92, at the EMU,
Madsen Building F09, The University of Sydney.
Please feel free to bring anyone along who is
interested. All are welcome!
For an up-to-date list of seminars, visit
our website: www.emu.usyd.edu.au/emu/
seminars.php.
FRONTIERS OF M
ICROSC
OPY
AND MICROANA
LYSIS
Wednesday, 16 May 2007, 10:00-11:00am
Dr Jörg Blieffert
Bruker BioSpin GmbH, Karlsruhe, Germany
QUANTAX - the innovative EDS system for
microanalysis.
Thursday 11 May 2007, 2:30–3:30pm
Dr Nagarajan Valanoor
School of Materials Science and Engineering,
University of New South Wales
Development of new ferroelectric and piezo-
electric functional materials.
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