Application Note
Characterizing silicon carbide polymorphs with EBSD using spherical indexing
December 11, 2025
Batteries and Energy Storage
Accelerate breakthroughs in battery technology with high-resolution tools to visualize structure-property relationships, optimize materials, and enhance energy storage performance.
Powering the future with deeper insights
Energy storage technologies are at the heart of sustainable solutions—from electric vehicles to renewable energy systems. Understanding how batteries perform, degrade, and evolve at the nanoscale is critical to improving efficiency, safety, and lifespan. Gatan provides advanced electron microscopy tools that enable researchers to uncover these insights with unmatched precision.
Why electron microscopy matters for battery research
Battery performance depends on complex interactions within electrodes, electrolytes, and interfaces. Our solutions help you:
- Visualize microstructure and composition of electrodes and solid-state electrolytes.
- Track lithium-ion diffusion and phase transformations during charge/discharge cycles.
- Identify degradation mechanisms such as dendrite formation, cracking, and chemical instability.
- Correlate electrochemical performance with nanoscale morphology for predictive modeling.
Technologies to accelerate your research
Advanced microscopy and analytical techniques enable precise characterization of energy storage materials, revealing critical structure–property relationships that drive performance and reliability.
Electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD)
Allows detailed microstructural analysis by mapping crystal orientations, phases, and grain boundaries
Energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDS/EDX)
Facilitates rapid, reliable elemental analysis by detecting characteristic x-rays emitted from a sample, allowing researchers to identify and quantify elements.
Electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS)
Delivers atomic-scale insights into elemental composition and chemical bonding—enabling a deeper understanding of material properties
eaSI Spectrum Imaging
Integrates EELS, EDS, 4D STEM, and more to deliver rich, correlated insights—advancing the understanding of complex, dynamic nanoscale phenomena
Imaging
Delivers high-resolution visualization of biological and inorganic specimens, enabling the study of ultrastructure, material growth, and failure mechanisms
In-situ
Captures real-time nanoscale dynamics under controlled stimuli to uncover fundamental mechanisms and accelerate scientific discovery
Integrated SEM
Combines EDS, EBSD, CL, BSE, and WDS into unified platforms—delivering comprehensive, high-resolution insights into complex materials
Micro x-ray fluorescence (micro-XRF)
Delivers high-resolution, non-destructive elemental analysis—ideal for layered, sensitive, or irregular samples
Wavelength dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (WDS)
Offers high spectral resolution and sensitivity, enabling precise identification and quantification of trace and light elements in complex samples
Enabling results that drive innovation
Unlock the power of electron microscopy with Gatan—explore cutting-edge applications and discover insights through detailed application notes that fuel scientific breakthroughs.
Application Note
Revealing the distribution of fluorine in battery cathodes with EDS and WDS mapping
November 1, 2025
Application Note
Identifying titanium hydride in a titanium alloy using EBSD and quantitative backscatter imaging
May 1, 2025
Application Note
Strategies to monitor and mitigate sample damage during atomic resolution STEM-EELS spectrum imaging
April 1, 2025
Application Note
Electron diffraction for chirality identification in spintronics
August 1, 2024
Media Gallery
Immerse yourself in the world of scientific discovery—explore striking microscopy images that reveal the unseen, alongside webinars and tutorials showcasing Gatan technologies in action.
HRTEM imaging of MgCrMnO4 material for lithium-ion batteries. Image captured with ClearView camera at 4k x 4k resolution and at 200 kV. Data courtesy of Danial Zangeneh, University of Illinois Chicago (UIC).
Secondary electron image and elemental metal fraction maps (by wt. %) of the same region of the MgLiAl alloy; white pixels are regions excluded from the analysis due to influence of topography.
Acknowledgement for header image: Work was performed at the Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies (CINT) and the University of New South Wales, including John Watt, Agus Poerwoprajitno, Dale L. Huber, and Richard D. Tilley.