ESTEEM3 article in EU Research magazine

ESTEEM3 article in EU Research magazine

European Vision with a Focus on the Access

About the magazine

EU Research is a dissemination and outreach agency designed with one purpose in mind : to help researchers, universities, and funding bodies to explain, translate and champion both basic and applied research.

"European Vision with a Focus on the Access" by Ruth Sullivan

Ruth Sullivan, journalist at the EU Research magazine, has writen in this Autumn 2022 edition, an article on ESTEEM3 project. In order to describe in detail the project, this article is divided in 3 parts : 

1. Transnational Access (TA)  

ESTEEM3 provides transnational access for the scientific community to the leading European state-of-the-art electron microscopy research infrastructures. The ESTEEM3 protocol means that highly sophisticated equipment and the services of highly trained staff are made available, free of charge, to serve industrial developers and small to medium-sized enterprises, all having access to the latest electron microscopy facilities, and the services personnel qualified to assist them with the methodologies and experimental techniques to support their requirements.

2. Joint Research Activities (JRA) 

Joint Research Activities focus on the development of the advanced TEM methods required for the solution of key problems in materials and nanoscience. Importantly, these JRA will strengthen TA capabilities within the ESTEEM3 consortium by providing a higher level of overall service to all TA users both from academia and industry.

3. Networking Activities (NA)   

ESTEEM3 develops and hosts Networking Activities, with regular events being hosted throughout Europe on different topics :

• Integration and Sustainability

• Education and Training  

• The Outreach

The ESTEEM3 role is well explained thanks to the to the given interview of the coordinator of the project Prof. Dr Peter A. van Aken of the Max Planck Institute for Solid State Research in Stuttgart (Germany). 

"Europe is at the forefront of electron microscopy technology, offering world-class instrumentation and installations equipped to support industry and research," according to Prof. Dr. Peter A. van Aken, "and our vision at ESTEEM3, while continuing to support ongoing research and encourage dissemination of the latest findings, includes a drive to connect those working in materials, whether in industry, small businesses, or academic research, with the network of European centres of excellence offering state-of-the-art high-resolution electron microscopy equipment and services." 

TEM Applications 

TEM is an invaluable research tool in the four main categories of: 

• ICT: with increasing demand for highlyengineered semiconducting and magnetic materials, functional complex oxides, and photonics materials. 
• Energy: for the assessment and development of materials for electrodes in batteries, nanocomposite solar cells, and steel and superalloys for use in power plants. 
• Pharmaceutical Industry: for research into materials such as pharmaceutical nanoparticles. 
• Transport: including the aeronautics, aerospace, and automotive sectors, where there is a need for high-performance materials, such as complex metallic alloys. 

Two great examples are mentioned in the article:  

• Materials Development at the Atomic Level  
• Mapping Electrical Properties of Nanodevices in situ  

Discover this article, to learn more about the challenges the ESTEEM3 project aims to respond to, its main characteristics and objectives, and finally, its expected impacts and results.