We utilize advanced characterization techniques – primarily electron and ion microscopy – to correlate the atomic, nano-, and mesoscale structure of materials to their processing conditions, their fundamental properties, and their overall performance.

Our work centers around the development of novel in-situ and operando methods. With these approaches, we use our microscopes to obtain imaging, diffraction, and spectroscopy data from materials in their native environments, preferably as they function. In particular, operando (“in a working condition”) experiments allow direct links between structure, processing, properties and performance in an explicit way, making this approach extremely powerful.