ORNL installs atomic-resolution STEM at Advanced Microscopy Laboratory

26 October 2026. Oak Ridge National Laboratory has installed a new scanning transmission electron microscope (STEM) in its Advanced Microscopy Laboratory. The instrument combines atomic-scale imaging with advanced chemical analysis and high-throughput data collection, according to the laboratory.

The microscope has a spatial resolution below 0.05 nanometers, small enough to distinguish individual atoms. It allows researchers to examine a material's atomic structure while simultaneously collecting detailed chemical information, including composition and defects.

Automated workflows are intended to produce larger datasets. "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," said David Cullen, a distinguished R&D staff member in ORNL's Applied Microanalysis and Thermophysics Group.

Target materials include advanced alloys, permanent magnets and catalysts. ORNL said the work could reduce reliance on imported critical materials and improve processes used to produce fertilizers, fuels and plastics. The release also cites study of permanent magnets for electric traction motors and of catalysts as they age.

Allen Haynes, director of DOE's Powertrain Materials Core Program consortium, said: "Using the new microscope, we can 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."

ORNL said future autonomous systems could collect and evaluate larger volumes of microscopy data and help guide the next stages of investigation. The microscope is supported by DOE's Transportation Technologies Office and Alternative Fuels and Feedstocks Office. UT-Battelle manages ORNL for DOE's Office of Science.

Source: Oak Ridge National Laboratory - Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences (CNMS) news