Hitachi Electron Microscopy Products Centre Opens

The official opening of the Hitachi Electron Microscopy Products Centre (HEMiC) is providing access to a uniquely configured transmission electron microscope, the first of its kind outside of Japan. Installed at the National Institute for Nanotechnology (NINT) at the University of Alberta, the instrument is one of three new microscopes at the center.

“Innovation is the key to growing our economy, and this project will allow businesses to capitalize on the benefits of nanotechnology,” said Lynne Yelich, minister of state for Western Economic Diversification. “That translates to more jobs and more opportunities throughout our communities.”

The $15 million partnership expands NINT’s electron microscope capacity and capabilities and will allow it to assist more Canadian companies in using nanotechnology for their products and processes. Collaborating with Hitachi High Technologies will further support the development, evaluation and commercialization of NINT microscope innovations.

“Alberta’s strength in nanotechnology is growing on every front, from research to commercialization,” said Greg Weadick, minister of Advanced Education and Technology. “The Hitachi Electron Microscopy Products Centre is a place where talented people can push the boundaries of research, where companies can develop products and where graduate students can learn using the most advanced microscopes. This is the Alberta Innovates system in action.”

The microscopes installed at the center include the Hitachi H-9500 environmental transmission electron microscope, which can study chemical reactions of samples in liquids and gases; the Hitachi S-5500 scanning electron microscope (SEM), which permits morphological observation down to nearly atomic or molecular structures of various materials; and the Hitachi NB5000, which combines the capabilities of high-resolution SEM and focused ion beam probing to yield three-dimensional chemical and structural information at scales <10 nm.

For more information, visit: www.nrc-cnrc.gc.ca/nint-innt/index.html