
FCUP
The electron microscopy installation is located at CEMUP-FCUP, a cutting-edge centralized research facility. This facility has been in the support of research and development in the field of materials, providing support and service to different research groups.
Facilities
Materials Centre of the University of Porto (CEMUP)
The facilities at CEMUP-FCUP provide high-resolution chemical analysis of a broad range of materials. From rocks, minerals, and ores to bioaerosol, microplastics, airborne pollen and fish otoliths to study their interaction with pollutants, to materials such as fly ashes for green energy technologies and water cleaning, and to different materials to recover critical materials. They have also been used for research in archaeometry, art conservation, as well as food and electronic ships analysis. The infrastructure has been requested by researchers from different Portuguese and European universities and laboratories and industry.

Equipment CEMUP-FCUP
Electron Microscopy:
FEI Quanta 400 (FEG-SEM):The equipment can be run at high vacuum, low vacuum, or environmental mode, allowing imaging and chemical analysis of samples with or without a conductive coat. Moreover, the facility also hosts a SEM equipped with a cryogenic system.
Raman Spectroscopy:
FCUP provides access to three different Raman Spectrometers capable of analysing a wide range of different materials.
The InVia® Qontor includes an automatized piezoelectricstage, enabling 2D-Raman imaging and depth measurements (lateral and vertical resolution: 100 and 15 nm). The spectrometer is coupled to a Linkam Stage (80 – 1500 K), a closed-cycle He cryostat (10- 300K), and a continuous flow He cryostat with superconducting coil to applied external magnetic field (up to 7T; down to 3K). A high-pressure diamond anvil cell (up to 100 GPa) and high temperature (300 – 1000K) is also available for measurements. Raman micro-spectrometer LabRAM (Raman):
Equipment calibrated to quantify volatiles such as CO2, CH4 and N2 in fluid inclusions. The equipment can be coupled to a Linkam heating -freezing stage. Raman micro-spectrometer Xplora (Raman):
The equipment offers a complete range of imaging technologies that enable acquiring Raman data from minute traces of material easily producing detailed chemical images and highly specific data from discrete points, lines, areas, and even volumes. With the possibility of using different excitation lasers (785, 532 nm) and three diffraction gratings (2400, 1800 and 1200lines/mm) they enable spectral resolution better than 2 cm-1.
Techniques
The versatile SEM system at FCUP allows for high-resolution imaging of a large variety of materials. Characterization of materials from very diverse areas of study such as metals, polymers, biological, and geological. Furthermore, non-conventional SEM techniques are available through Cryo-SEM, ESEM, low-vacuum SEM, and in-situ hot stage.
The Raman systems at FCUP offer a wide range of Raman spectroscopy technologies capable of analysing various materials. These systems allow for measurement of Raman spectra from minute traces of materials from discrete point, lines, areas, or even volumes. Additionally, fluid inclusions can be measured.
Processing and data acquisition software
Labspec; Particle finder; CalRam.
Sample preparation
Samples for SEM-EDS analysis will be coated (C or Au-Pb) at the facility, if necessary.
Curious to learn more?
Interested in gaining access to the EXCITE2 facilities? Please enter your email address and be one of the first to be informed when we open the next EXCITE2 call for proposals. Other questions? Contact us here.