The "GTIIT-ZEISS Electron Microscope Cooperative Application Laboratory Opening Ceremony & SEM Workshop" was held in Guangdong Technion - Israel Institute of Technology (GTIIT) on May 31. Prof. Gong Xingao, Chancellor of GTIIT; Senior Research Scientist Cha Limei, Director of the Electron Microscopy Center of Materials Science and Engineering; Chen Zhe, Sales Manager of Materials Research of Carl Zeiss Co.,Ltd. in South China; Chen Shuangwen, Application Manager of Carl Zeiss Co.,Ltd. in South China; Liu Yu, Technical Sales Engineer of Oxford Instruments Technology Co.,Ltd. in South China; as well as application experts from both Zeiss and Oxford, representatives of teachers and students from GTIIT and Shantou University, attended the ceremony. Prof. Moshe Eizenberg, Dean of Graduate Studies, Head of Materials Science and Engineering Program of GTIIT, and Huang Minggang, National Sales Director for Materials Research at Carl Zeiss Co., Ltd., participated online.

The Electron Microscopy Center (EMC) is a forefront center with state-of-the-art instrumentations, enabling a wide variety of disciplinary and interdisciplinary research projects, covering topics from basic research to applied research. It is one of the most advanced electron microscopy analysis platforms among the universities in eastern Guangdong. According to Dr. Cha, Director of EMC, the Center is well-equipped with advanced electron microscopes as well as an instrumentation for sample preparation in a cutting-edge technical environment, providing great supports on the scientific basis for the optimization and further application of materials to a wide range of the research projects, including material science, condensed matter physics, energy, chemical, environment, biology, food, medicine and so on. Since its open in 2021, over 2,000 samples have been tested. At present, there are 39 research teams from 7 cities of 5 provinces across China sharing the instruments of EMC.

Prof. Moshe Eizenberg, Dean of Graduate Studies and Head of Materials Science and Engineering Program of GTIIT, delivered a speech online. He said that the EMC has provided sophisticated instruments and technology to GTIIT teachers and students, and also to researchers in academia and industry. He hoped that the GTIIT-ZEISS workshop could promote more high-level and high-quality cooperation in various fields.

Huang Minggang, National Sales Director of Materials Research of Carl Zeiss Co., Ltd., said that as a professional company in optics and electronics, Zeiss has been looking forward to more cooperation with well-known universities and institutes in China. “The joint establishment of the laboratory with EMC shows the determination of mutual benefit and common development, and also indicates the in-depth development of the collaboration between GTIIT and Zeiss. We are committed to helping GTIIT improve its research capacity and provide better services for research.”

At the opening ceremony, Prof. Gong Xingao, Chancellor of GTIIT, expressed warm congratulations on the establishment of the Laboratory on behalf of the university. He said that GTIIT has been committed to be a high-level and international research university of science and technology. Many programs at GTIIT are inseparable from micro analysis. The cooperation will effectively promote the development of Shantou, eastern Guangdong and even the related fields in China. He sincerely wished the laboratory better and better, and made more achievements in the use of instruments, talent training and discipline construction.

In the SEM Workshop, Zhang Qing, Application Specialist of Zeiss, introduced basic principles and concepts of scanning electron microscopy, principles and applications of detector imaging, sample preparation methods and test parameters selection.

Zheng Yiming, Application Specialist of Zeiss, descibed the technical characteristics of the Zeiss high resolution field emission scanning electron microscope Gemini450. He shared the low voltage high resolution imaging, high resolution spectrum analysis of non-conductive samples, metal grain orientation contrast and ECCI defect characterization, as well as the in-situ analysis function of electron microscopy and a series of Zeiss cross-scale microscopic imaging technology's latest applications.

Wang Hanxiao, Application Specialist of Oxford, discussed the application cases of large-area energy spectrum detectors and CMOS-EBSD detector in nano characterization, as well as the new solutions of windowless energy spectrum system and EDS-WDS combined system in element analysis.

In the future, the Laboratory will adhere to the idea of "mutually beneficial cooperation and opening to the outside world", promote information and technology sharing and explore more possibilities.

Text/Photos: GTIIT News & Public Affairs