Practical Training Courses and Workshops

The electron microscopy course comprises of a series of lectures followed by the practical hands-on sessions. These practical sessions will take up a significant portion of time on the workshops, to maximise your experience with the instrumentation. In these you will learn the optimal methods of sample preparation for best imaging or elemental analysis, plus the best conditions for operating the microscopes for different sample types. The topics broadly covered in the lectures and practical sessions are:

• The basics of electron microscopy: Microscope types (SEM vs TEM) and details of how they operate, including factors such as magnification vs resolution, electron surface interactions and sample considerations
•  Practicalities of electron microscopy: Electron emitter types, making adjustments to the electron beam and sample chamber configurations, plus choosing the best detectors for different analysis scenarios and considerations in using high resolutions
•  Performing elemental analysis: The fundamental theory, spectrometer types and capabilites, sample considerations, types of analysis and interpretation

Much of the XRD course will be spent on the interpretation of the data obtained by such a technique. The practicalities will still be covered, from the sample preparation to loading a running the instrumentation, though actually operation of a diffractometer is relatively simple. The key to getting the most out of the technique is in that interpretation, matching the peaks to crystalline phases and what the spectra obtained tells you about your material. There is much to potentially be learned from the results and giving you the core considerations in understanding XRD spectra is at the heart of this workshop. Broadly the areas that will be covered are:

• X-ray diffraction basic concepts: Fundamental theory of crystal structures and types, how they are defined included Miller indicies, plus diffraction phenomenon, Bragg's law and typical applications of XRD
• Practicalities of X-ray diffraction: Sample preparation and loading, analysis considerations, influence of sample morphology, obtaining diffraction patterns and getting good data
• Interpretation of spectra: Using common software such as TOPAS, GSAS 2 and MAUD, tips and tricks

The course will begin with a lecture laying the foundation of the theory regarding light interaction with materials. Before then splitting off into instrument specific topics. However, much of the time on the course will be spent in the lab to actually see how these concepts are put into action in producing spectra. You will learn to what to expect for a variety of different materials and understand what the peak positions and intensities mean for a particular sample. Areas that are covered include:

• General concepts: How light interacts with materials, the electromagnetic spectrum, the Beer-Lambert law and introduction to the instrumentation
• Electronic transitions and the UV-vis: Wavelength range, fundamental concepts of electron configurations and bonding, anatomy of a UV-vis spectrophotometer, sample types and preparation and using an integrating sphere
• Vibrational transitions in infrared spectroscopy (FTIR and Raman): Wavelength range, basics of bond vibrations, peak positions and functional groups, spectra interpretation, anatomy of an FTIR vs Raman, practicalities of analysis and sample considerations

Working with our in-house highly experienced cross-sectioning expert, you will learn the art of producing the most optimal sample mountings. From the considerations when embedding in resin to the care needed in sectioning and polishing, you will be shown how to achieve the best results in cross-sectioning materials. From this workshop you will be better able to produce samples for effective analysis, for example by electron microscopy.

This is a mostly practical workshop, getting hands-on with the facilities we have here at Brunel University of London.