The Electron Microscopy Centre (EMC) at the department of Materials and Environmental Chemistry (MMK) in the Arrhenius Laboratory at Stockholm University (SU) has a long tradition in supporting researchers in the fields of materials chemistry and solid-state chemistry, but also many other fields. The first Electron Microscopes (EM) was installed 1974. Already from the establishment of EMC 2007 it has been an open facility with users from other higher educational institutes in Sweden and in the world as well as from outside academia.

EMC at MMK has traditionally used various techniques in imaging and diffraction together with analytical features for the study of a wide range of materials. Some specialized areas of research at MMK are the synthesis and processing of inorganic as well as bio-based materials, the study of structure and properties and the development of electron crystallography methods. Materials presently studied comprise mesoporous crystals, nanoparticles and nanostructured materials, soft and biomaterials, etc; The typical compositions of the materials span from zeolites, natural minerals and synthetic oxides to carbon, ceramics, alloys, and semiconductors and also nanocellulose and proteins. These materials find applications in batteries, supercapacitors, fuel cells, catalysts, sensors, biomedicine, and ...

Installation Of New SEM And Sample Preparation Equipment At EMC

History of electron microscopy

Our instruments - SEM

Our instruments - TEM

Fees, policy and booking 

MACAL (Materials Analysis Center at Arrhenius Laboratory) is organized into facilities, each headed by a facility manager who is responsible for maintenance and accessibility of instrumentation and efficient user training.

A facility manager has also broad competence in the processing, evaluation and interpretation of measurement data.

Currently there are five different facilities available, read more about them below.

X-ray facility

Optical spectroscopy

Surface analysis

Thermal analysis

Soft matter characterization

Policy and booking

Please review MACAL infrastructure policy before booking.

MACAL policy March 2023 (180 Kb)

To book instruments, please use the LIMS-booking system.

Link to booking system

The Mass Spectrometry Facility at MMK provides instrumentation for the analysis of organic compounds using mass spectrometry-based techniques. Users receive support on technical aspects and data processing.

We have a wide range of instrumentation available, they are more extensivly presented here.

Mass spectrometry lab

The national spark plasma sintering (SPS) facility has been established at Department of Materials and Environmental Chemistry at Stockholm University. The SPS facility is capable to subject the materials to rapid sintering cycles in vacuum or inert atmosphere. The materials include but are not restricted to ceramics, metals and alloys, intermetallics, composites and porous materials. The SPS facility can produce sintered materials of both small and large dimensions and handle air-sensitive materials.

More about the facility here

Policy, fees and booking

Please review SPS infrastructure policy before booking. All fees are listed in the policy.

SPS facility policy and fees 2024 (219 Kb)

To book instruments, please use the LIMS-booking system.

Link to booking system

Solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) facility at Stockholm University provides resources and expertise in acquisition and interpretation of NMR data from solid materials. Besides NMR methodology development and support for research groups at Stockholm University, the facility is also open to other universities, institutes and industry.

Read more about our solid state NMR facility here

ARTEMI is the National Research Infrastructure for Advanced Electron Microscopy, as appointed by the Swedish Research Council (VR) and constitutes a distributed infrastructure that involve six partner universities with complementary instrumentation and methodologies.

ARTEMI - Swedish Research Infrastructure for Advanced Electron Microscopy

CEM4MAT is an initiative from the electron microscopy (EM) facilities in the Stockholm-Uppsala region.

This is a regional platform to make the Transmission Electron Microscopy based research infrastructure accessible and transparent for external and internal users. The four nodes of CEM4MAT, specialised in Materials Sciences, are Uppsala University, Stockholm University, KTH Royal Institute of Technology and SWERIM. 

CEM4MAT, Centre of Electron Microscopy for Materials Sciences

The European Spallation Source is under construction on the outskirts of Lund, a city in southern Sweden. The facility's unique capabilities will both greatly exceed and complement those of today's leading neutron sources, enabling new opportunities for researchers across the spectrum of scientific discovery, including materials and life sciences, energy, environmental technology, cultural heritage and fundamental physics.

ESS - European Spallation Source

MAX IV Laboratory is a Swedish national laboratory providing scientists with the most brilliant X-rays for research with Lund University as the host university. The facility is funded primarily by Swedish and international research funders, consortia, and 14 Swedish research universities. MAX IV delivers high-quality X-ray light for research in materials and life sciences. 

MAX IV

NordTEMhub, is a Nordic University hub, as defined by NordForsk, within advanced electron microscopy. The aim is to make use of the well-established environments in the Nordic, intensify our collaboration between nodes, provide access, optimize instrument use and build Nordic competence on advanced microscopy with particular emphasis on the young generation.

NordTEMHub

High quality and accessible infrastructures unlock the skills of researchers and the possibilities of science. Within the CIVIS alliance there are opportunites of instrastrucute sharing.

RIS4CIVIS - Sharing Research Infrastructures

Active European Research Infrastructure Consortia (ERICs)