Under the microscope

Images of an aluminium based alloy at 50x, 160,000x and 2,000,000x magnification.

Monash University is now home to one of the world's most powerful electron microscopes.
The $9 million machine can illuminate atoms with a clarity never before achieved. It is one of only four microscopes of its type in the world and makes Monash home to the most powerful microscope in the Southern Hemisphere.

The Titan 80-300 electron microscope is the most powerful of ten high-performance microscopes housed in the purpose-built $37 million Monash Centre for Electron Microscopy (MCEM).

MCEM Director Associate Professor Joanne Etheridge said the new equipment would allow scientists to gain a deeper understanding of the atomic structure of a wide range of materials.

"Everything in the world is made of atoms. 
The type and arrangement of atoms determine a material's properties, such as strength, colour and conductivity. By illuminating atomic structures, the powerful microscopes at MCEM give scientists the knowledge they need to develop new and better materials, such as faster computer chips, more efficient solar cells, smarter plastics and lighter, stronger metals for energy efficient transport," 
she said.

The centre has attracted staff with specialist expertise in microscopy from leading centres around the world, including Oxford, Cambridge and Cornell universities.