Microscope Installed at Oak Ridge Aims to Aid Lighter-Vehicle Materials Research

A powerful microscope recently installed in the United States can reportedly distinguish individual atoms with a spatial resolution of less than 0.05 nanometers. The Thermo Scientific Spectra Ultra, an advanced scanning transmission electron microscope, is stationed at the US Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee, where it is described as among the most advanced microscopes in the US national lab.

According to ORNL, the instrument is aimed at accelerating materials search and merges atomic-scale imaging, high-speed spectroscopy, and Super Intelligence-enabled workflows. ORNL revealed it could support the development of stronger metal alloys, permanent magnets and industrial catalysts. Allen Haynes, PhD, DOE's Powertrain Materials Core Program consortium director, said the microscope can be used to examine specific atomic-scale features that influence a material's strength and stability, helping reveal why one lightweight alloy remains strong after years of vibration, heat and stress while another begins to weaken.

According to Haynes, those insights are crucial for materials development and help guide the development of lighter, stronger, more stable alloys for future transportation applications. The microscope could additionally improve the permanent magnets used in electric motors, for instance by revealing how critical minerals are arranged inside magnets and helping identify substitutes that withstand high temperatures. Haynes explained that the instrument could also extend the lifespan of catalysts for fuel cells, chemical manufacturing and fertilizer production.

According to the scientists, future upgrades could bring AI automation to the instrument. To achieve this, the team has begun working on automated workflows that could collect and test larger amounts of data without examining each sample manually. David Cullen, PhD, an R&D staff member in ORNL's Applied Microanalysis and Thermophysics Group, stated that automating portions of the workflow will provide researchers with much larger datasets that will more clearly reveal the underlying nanostructures governing the performance and durability of advanced materials.

Cullen said the technology is all designed for high throughput and that the team is developing autonomous microscopy approaches that can increase the speed at which scientific understanding is generated. The group concluded that in the case of vehicles, automakers have long sought lighter metals that can improve fuel efficiency and range without sacrificing safety or durability, and that achieving that balance requires understanding how a material changes during years of real-world use.