Microscopy Image Contest Winners

The Microscopy Facilities at the Cornell Center for Materials Research hosted our 9th competition for the best image produced using an electron microscope.

Most Artistic
Lola Brown
TEM: FEI Spirit
Twinning defects in Bilayer (flower) and Trilayer (hexagon, bottom) Oriented graphene sheets are revealed by contrast changes in this series of Warhol-inspired DF-TEM images. Strain induced Moiré patterns (hexagon, top) are caused by a small lattice mismatch in the first and third layers. A collaboration with Robert Hovden (Muller Group).
Dept: Chemistry and Chemical Biology
Advisor: Jiwoong Park

Technical Difficulty

Julia Mundy
NION UltraSTEM
The original EELS spectroscopic maps were limited to 64x64 pixels. Improvements at Cornell, including a new spectrometer, have enabled spectroscopic maps with dimensions of a “traditional” image. Shown is a LaMnO3/SrMnO3 superlattice on SrTiO3 (La=green, Mn=red, Ti=blue) with a step edge propagating diagonally through the film. Film from Dr. Carolina Adamo, Prof. Darrell Schlom
Dept: Applied & Engineering Physics
Advisor: David Muller

Tells the Best Story
Deli Wang and Yingchao Yu
NION UltraSTEM
A L10 ordered PtMn intermetallic nanoparticle along {110} zone axis. By ‘z-contrast’ from HAADF-STEM imaging, Pt (red) and Mn (green) atomic layers can be distinguished. The atomic level ordering enables tuning of the electronic structure to enhance the efficiency of the oxygen reduction reaction in a proton exchange fuel cell.
Dept: Chemistry and Chemical Biology
Advisor: Héctor D. Abruña and David A. Muller