Post by Jim Jui-Kai C.

Yesterday, I had the pleasure of presenting a summary of my PhD work for the AutomatED project at the Division of Molecular Imaging and Photonics (MIP) Seminar Lectures, as part of my doctoral training. My talk focused on the correlative nanoscale spectroscopy study of laser-manipulated 2D materials. The AutomatED project was an exciting strategic collaboration between Prof. Hofkens in KU Leuven and Prof. Verbeeck, Prof. Hadermann in the University of Antwerp, funded by FWO (SBO). Our goal was to develop a cost-effective, high-impact solution for both academia and industry by integrating a diffractometer directly into a Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), essentially enabling 4D-STEM within an SEM chamber. As an active user from the academic side, here are my three key takeaways for anyone interested in utilizing this powerful technique: 1️⃣ Unmatched Workflow Efficiency: Since you are already spending time loading your samples into the SEM, why not resolve their crystal structure at the same time with just a few clicks? 2️⃣ Overcoming Thickness Limits: While traditional transmission methods under 30 keV are limited to thin materials (around 100 nm), our brilliant colleagues in Antwerp have invented a smart edge-scanning algorithm (patent pending) to collect only the useful, transmitted signals from surfaces. This opens up incredible possibilities for analyzing particulate samples where surface chemistry and structure are of interest. 3️⃣ Multimodal Material Characterization: Beyond electron diffraction, this setup generates high-contrast images that map particle size and shape, paving the way for advanced data classification and clustering. The potential becomes even more profound when coupled with add-ons like EDS/EDX (for elemental mapping) or Cathodoluminescence (to probe bandgaps, defects, and doping). A huge thank you to the team in Prof. Uji-i and Prof. De Feyter for the great discussions! Also, I sincerely acknowledge the hands-on guidance from Dr. Shameem for using 2D materials. In the comments below, I have featured some excellent recent publications from my teammates, Nikita, Saleh, and Andrey. I am currently working hard on my own upcoming paper for this framework, stay tuned! 🔬