The David Cockayne Centre for Electron Microscopy has unveiled a new state-of-the-art microscope, named the GrandARM300F, designed to enhance research capabilities by providing high-resolution imaging. Standing at 3.5 meters tall, this microscope can magnify samples up to 50 million times, allowing researchers to visualize individual atoms.
Vice-Chancellor Professor Irene Tracey officially inaugurated the GrandARM300F on March 17, 2025, during a special ceremony celebrating Sir Peter Hirsch's 100th birthday. Sir Peter is an esteemed Emeritus Professor of Metallurgy and a former head of Oxford’s Department of Materials.
The GrandARM300F microscope offers versatility and precision, capable of switching swiftly between different operational modes such as Transmission Electron Microscopy, Scanning Transmission Electron Microscopy, and X-ray spectroscopy. This variety enables researchers to collect diverse forms of data from the same sample efficiently.
Additionally, the microscope is tailored for analyzing sensitive materials, equipped with features like a cryogenic mode to cool samples to liquid nitrogen temperatures (about -190°C) and precision electron beam control that can be reduced to 60 kV.
Dr. Neil Young, the Senior Electron Microscope Facility Manager at the David Cockayne Centre, commented: “The new microscope is designed to enable users to quickly switch between modes and techniques. This provides multi-modal datasets, elevating the characterization of materials to new levels. Furthermore, the microscope is optimized for low-dose and low-voltage studies, allowing us to analyze sensitive samples which would otherwise be damaged by the electron beam.”
This advanced instrument will support research in various strategic areas including energy materials aimed at the Net Zero transition, drug delivery systems, disease mechanisms in tissues, carbon capture, and semiconductor research, among others.
Dr. Gerardo Martinez, the Transmission Electron Microscopy Support Scientist at the centre, noted: “Besides high-end research, this new microscope will also play a vital role in teaching and training the microscopists of the future. There are few other places in the world where students have the opportunity to operate a TEM microscope of this calibre themselves, giving an immensely valuable learning experience.”
The GrandARM300F is available for use by external researchers, complementing the centre’s reputation in materials research and imaging techniques. This introduction continues a legacy initiated by Professor Sir Peter Hirsch, known for pioneering work in electron microscopy and critical contributions to the development of materials like semiconductors and high-temperature alloys. Sir Peter was honored as a Knight in 1975 and was the founder Chairman of Isis Innovation.