Koos Terblans, head of the Centre for Microscopy at the University of the Free State, South Africa, stands next to the new electron microscope.Credit: Stephen F. Collett, UFS
A state-of-the-art electron microscope bought by a South African university will boost nanoscale research in the country. The acquisition, by the University of the Free State (UFS) South Africa, replaces the institution’s three-decades-old electron microscope.
The University of the Free State (UFS) bought the US$3.5 million JEOL F200 HRTEM field emission transmission electron microscope for its Centre for Microscopy, strengthening studies in a range of inorganic and biological subjects. “This includes chemistry, physics, microbiology, geology, plant sciences to zoology and cardiothoracic surgery,” says Koos Terblans, the centre’s director.
Terblans, a professor of physics, says the JEOL F200 HRTEM is the first to be installed at an African research facility and features higher spatial resolution and analytical performance.
The energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) system allows for the analysis of the chemical composition of materials at the nanoscale, and detects elements ranging from boron to uranium.
“Cardiac researchers can, for instance, see how cell division takes place, and tag the nucleus within different types of biological tissue,” Terblans says.
A high-speed camera can take up to 120 frames a second. High-resolution snapshots can be taken of the atomic structure of samples, and videos filmed of about 5 nanometer close-ups of atoms reacting and moving when minerals or metals are heated.
The system features a fine focused ion beam milling and imaging set-up which allows researchers to cut nanoscaled cross-sections of samples under the microscope. It will be shared with UFS collaborators at South African institutions at the nearby Central University of Technology in Bloemfontein, and the Northwest University in Potchefstroom, and for collaborative research with local industries.
