Procurement of a field emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM) with integrated cryo unit
for the examination of non-conductive, moist or still outgassing samples in variable low vacuum mode,
additionally equipped with SE, BSE and EDX analysis for the high and low vacuum range.
The University of Koblenz-Landau intends to purchase a field emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM) with integrated cryo unit for the investigation of non-conductive, moist or still outgassing samples in variable low-vacuum mode. The system must also be equipped with a compatible secondary electron (SE) and a backscattered electron (BSE) detector for the high and low vacuum range as well as a corresponding energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX).
The Koblenz campus of the University of Koblenz-Landau will become an independent university on 01.01.2023. As the interdisciplinary university in the north of Rhineland-Palatinate, it will live knowledge - transformation - innovation in the profile areas "Education", "Computer Science", "Culture and Mediation" as well as "Material and Environment" and give impulses to teacher training and the region.
Department 3 Mathematics/Natural Sciences at the Koblenz Campus is working on the research topic "Material & Environment". This in turn is divided into three main areas: "Material properties and functional surfaces", "Modelling and simulating" and "Biodiversity and ecosystems". Through the associated interdisciplinary research activities, the department ensures the acquisition of knowledge and solutions for regionally, nationally and internationally socially relevant mathematical and scientific questions.
The field emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM) with integrated cryo unit to be procured is intended to make a significant contribution to the research of these focal points. In corresponding subprojects, high-resolution electron microscopy is used to detect and characterize microorganisms (viruses, bacteria) as well as to investigate the colonization of materials by microorganisms and the corresponding consequences for the use and service life of the affected materials. An important point here is the interface between living nature and materials. On the one hand, the focus of the processing is on the nature and functionality but also on the service life of materials (metal, plastic, ceramics) in interaction with living nature in the form of microorganisms. A further focus will be the development of innovative materials and material interfaces that can, for example, prevent colonization by microorganisms or control them in a targeted manner. This topic is not only of interest in terms of the biodegradability of plastics, but also plays an important role in medical and biotechnological applications of these materials and their sustainable use.
Since a large part of the samples is naturally watery due to their biological content, the need for a cryo system including a transfer unit is necessary. This initially allows the samples to be cooled and fixed outside the chamber up to -190 °C. After transfer to the REM main chamber, it should be prevented in such a way that the contained water evaporates under high vacuum conditions or low.dem vacuum operation and the biological structures are irreversibly destroyed. Without this processing, this would lead to high information losses in the samples. In addition to the surface characterization of the samples, the materials science aspects also require further information on their elementary material composition, which is determined by means of high-resolution energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. An essential component here is a real-time representation of the chemical composition of the sample to be examined, which makes local element distributions down to the image-point analysis possible.
The field emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM) with integrated cryo unit must continue to be equipped in such a way that retrofitting for a motorized scanning transmission electron detector (STEM, resolution of less than 1 nm@30 kV) is guaranteed in the future. The other detectors should continue to be simultaneously readable and displayable.