The Kourkoutis electron microscopy group develops and applies novel electron microscopy techniques to advance the fundamental understanding of materials and devices. Central to all of these efforts is the scanning transmission electron microscope (STEM), a tool that allows us to probe structural, chemical and electronic properties at the atomic scale.
Our current focus is on extending the reach of aberration corrected STEM to cryogenic temperature. Operating at low temperatures gives us access to a broad range of electronic phases that emerge during cooling of quantum materials such as charge density wave or charge ordered phases. It also allows us to study processes that occur at liquid-solid interfaces such as those that give rise to efficiency loss and failure of rechargeable batteries. New cryo electron microscopy techniques furthermore enable biological systems to be studied in their near-native environments.