KOCHI:The Sophisticated Test and Instrumentation Centre (STIC) at the Cochin University of Science and Technology (Cusat) has installed a Japan-made high-resolution transmission electron microscope (HRTEM) as part of upgrading its facilities.
The transmission electron microscope is used in cancer research, virology, material science, pollution control, nanoparticles, nanotubes and semi-conductor research.
The installed model - JEM 2100 - is having a resolution of 0.24nm and an acceleration voltage of 200kv.
The accessories of the equipment were procured at the Sophisticated Analytical Instrument Facility (SAIF) - the chemical testing division of the STIC - using Rs 3.5-crore allotted by the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India.
The other sophisticated instruments that have already been procured at the Sophisticated Analytical Instrument Facility with the assistance of the DST include scanning electron microscope (SEM), single crystal XRD and FT NMR.
So far, 15 analytical instruments have been installed at the Sophisticated Analytical Instrument Facility, which are being extensively used by the research community across the country.
The transmission electron microscope functions based on the same principle as that of the light (optical) microscope, but uses electrons instead of light to image samples.
Due to the smaller wavelength of electrons, the magnification capacity of the transmission electron microscope is more than 10,00,000 times, which enables the user to examine the sample structure in fine detail. With the equipment installed at the Sophisticated Test and Instrumentation Centre, powder, polymer and biological samples are accepted for analysis.
A joint venture of the Kerala State Council for Science, Technology and Environment (KSCSTE), Government of Kerala, and the Cusat, the Sophisticated Test and Instrumentation Centre has world-class calibration facility for electro-technical, thermal and mechanical parameters. The laboratories are accredited by the National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration (NABL), based on the ISO/IEC - 17025:2005 standard.