Practical examples of the benefits and limitations of TEM

TEM is a powerful tool for materials analysis at the nano-scale offering unmatched spatial resolution combined with chemical analysis. I will present a series of interesting examples where TEM offered valuable insight in research conducted at the Centre for High Resolution Electron Microscopy. A popular trend at the moment is that of in-situ microscopy with the aim of simulating dynamic conditions that materials may experience while in use, inside the microscope column. While the idea is very promising, the effect of thin film relaxation, energy deposition by the electron beam and other factors imposed by the microscope column may lead to significant variation in the observed behaviour of materials in- and ex-situ.