Electron Microscopy Facility

Four state of the art microscopes are set to be installed in a new building that has been rapidly taking shape next to the synchrotron.The facility will house two high resolution cryo-electron microscopes for the life sciences and two high-resolution electron microscopes for advanced materials research. The microscopes will share space with the Hard X-ray Nanoprobe beamline (I14) in the new facility. Construction is on track for the building to be occupied from winter 2015 onwards.

Funded by a £15.6 million grant from the Wellcome Trust, the Medical Research Council (MRC), and the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC), the new Bio-Imaging Centre (eBIC) is a collaboration between Diamond, Birkbeck College and Oxford University. It will operate 24/7 benefiting from Diamond’s experience running beamlines and, although not connected to the synchrotron light source, will provide scientists with state-of-the-art experimental equipment and expertise that will complement Diamond’s current capabilities. The powerful cryo-electron microscopes will help scientists to look into the structure of cells to reveal molecular make-up and will provide new tools to visualise single bio-molecules.

Figure 4: The Electron Microscopy facility and I14 building taking shape.

The two microscopes for the physical sciences centre will be supplied by Johnson Matthey and Oxford University and operated under strategic collaboration agreements to provide for substantial dedicated peer reviewed user access. This collaboration will create stronger links between Diamond as a research centre and universities and industry. The potential of today’s advanced materials depends on the structures and properties that arise from collections of atoms interacting in their local environment. Complementing the beamline information from I14, the electron microscopes will show the identity, ordering and chemical state of atoms in a sample. The expertise and equipment that Johnson Matthey, Oxford and Diamond are bringing together will provide the nucleus for the community to assemble and address important future challenges.

Bringing eBIC and the electron microscopy centre for physical sciences to the campus is a significant step forward for Diamond. The new model brings in different facilities and expertise from across academia and industry. Housing three different facilities under one roof will allow new synergies to emerge between different techniques and areas of research.

This holistic approach to science, underpinned by co-location and collaboration, will not only enhance Diamond’s existing array of leading-edge facilities, but is also set to make a lasting impression on the future of funding and research partnerships in the UK.