Carleton is now home to a new $1 million nano imaging device. The university’s acquisition of the FEI Tecnai G2 Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM), in partnership with Environment Canada, was announced today by the Faculty of Science.
The acquisition of the device was spurred by a collaborative project on nanosilver and its behaviour in soils, but many other Carleton research projects will make use of the device. These projects investigate topics from nanofertilizers to nano-pattern fibre optic sensor platforms. Researchers who once needed to access off-campus TEMs will now be able to conduct their research without leaving Carleton.
“You just can’t do this kind of work without a transmission electron microscope,” said Malcolm Butler, Carleton’s dean of Science. “It’s a really critical device.”
The TEM is capable of revealing specimen information down to the atomic level, where it reaches one million magnification. It is capable of ultra-high resolution imaging and is equipped with the latest electron and X-ray detection systems, offering a high degree of accuracy.
“All of this work is highly collaborative,” said Butler. “These projects happen between departments and faculties, but also with external partners like Environment Canada. We see this facility as a tremendous step forward, both with research partnerships and with our ability to conduct leading research into nanoscience and technology.”
“We’re looking at nanomaterials on a regular basis,” said Karen Dodds, assistant deputy minister of the Science and Technology Branch of Environment Canada. “We need to have standards against which to assess them. The work being done here on nanotechnology will increase our understanding of these materials, including the benefits and challenges they present.”
The device is housed in Carleton’s Nano Imaging Facility, a not-for-profit centre which now operates two electron microscopes. The facility makes these devices available to academic, public sector and commercial clients for both teaching and research purposes.
Read the Ottawa Citizen coverage of this event here, including a video interview of Professor Maria DeRosa.