Using (S)TEM Techniques to Study Energy Related Materials at the Nanoscale

In most of our work on energy related materials such as for example thin films of intermediate band solar cells, hydrogen storage materials and catalyst nanoparticles  we see that the atomic scale structures directly influence materials properties. Different transmission electron microscopy (TEM) techniques have turned out to be crucial to understand and improve the functional properties of these materials. Recent advances in instrument development has allowed for the use of aberration corrected TEM and scanning TEM (STEM) combined with simultaneous acquisition of spectroscopy data like EDS and EELS. These instrumental improvements give structural and electronic information on the atomic scale that could not be accessed by other means. This talk will give a few examples of projects going on in our research group, where studies of the materials at the nanoscale give important answers on how to proceed in developing better energy materials.