Credit: Image courtesy of Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Scientists developed a new method to measure temperature over nanoscale volumes. The width of these volumes is much smaller than a human hair. The picture shows scientists Andrew Lupini (left) and Juan Carlos Idrobo (right) with the microscope that made it possible. The new microscope is called a Nion HERMES. It has extremely high energy resolution and a narrow electron beam. Using spectroscopic techniques called electron energy loss and gain spectroscopy, researchers determined the temperature of a material at the nanoscale. Knowing nanoscale temperatures could reveal insights to advance electronics, catalysis, and energy storage and generation technology.