Imagine being able to read the date on a coin that’s sitting on the moon, approximately 240,000 miles, or 384,000 km, away from Earth.

That’s the kind of magnification delivered by 3M’s new scanning transmission electron microscope, a rare, world-class instrument found in only a handful of organizations around the globe. It can reveal atomic-level structures so tiny that millions could fit end-to-end on the head of a pin, giving 3M researchers an extraordinary window into how materials are assembled atom by atom.

That capability is expected to help 3M researchers better understand how materials are built and how they perform, from adhesives and abrasives to catalysts and other advanced materials. With insight at this scale, scientists can move beyond inference and directly observe features that influence performance, helping to unlock new ideas, accelerate product development, improve manufacturing and support the next generation of innovation.

“We don't really understand some things until we look at them at the atomic level,” said Yang Liu, an advanced research specialist in 3M’s electron microscopy group. “We might not know how things work until we really zoom in.”

A closer look at how materials work

The scanning transmission electron microscope, or S/TEM, allows researchers to study materials far beyond what a traditional microscope can show. Instead of using visible light, the instrument uses electrons accelerated at extremely high speed and focused with electromagnetic lenses. Because the electrons pass through the sample, scientists can examine internal structures in extraordinary detail.

Preparing those samples is a critical part of the process, often requiring researchers to thin materials to about 100 nanometers or less so electrons can pass through them. Liu calls the sample preparation in itself “a work of art.”

Being able to magnify material to the atomic level matters at 3M, where many products rely on materials engineered at a very small scale.

“When we have a new material, a new way of addressing a problem for a customer, we need to understand how it works and why it works,” said Claire Jalbert, vice president of R&D for 3M’s Corporate Research Analytical Lab. “This new equipment allows us to do that at a new level, an atomic level, to understand how things are working.”

Turning measurement into innovation

The microscope’s value goes beyond capturing striking images. It gives 3M researchers data they can use to connect structure with performance, helping them move beyond theory and directly verify what is happening inside a material.

“The fact is that we can't make anything if we can't measure it,” said Matt Atkinson, a corporate scientist in 3M’s Corporate Research Analytical Lab. “If we're able to measure things that other people can't measure, we're able to make things other people can't make.”

Maria Vratsanos, a senior research engineer at 3M, said the microscope makes it possible to study materials in ways that were previously out of reach.

“Getting down to very, very high magnification, that’s really going to let us look at things that we literally couldn’t see before,” Vratsanos said.

A world-class tool for innovation

The new microscope is one of the most powerful instruments of its kind in North America and among only a handful worldwide – most of which are housed at research facilities, universities and semiconductor companies.

It’s so sensitive, 3M needed to place it in a carefully renovated laboratory to reduce vibration, electromagnetic interference and temperature fluctuation.

But company leaders say technology is only part of the story. The expertise of 3M researchers, many with decades of experience studying materials, is what turns advanced equipment into practical insight.

“It’s one thing to acquire state-of-the-art instruments and equipment,” said Steve Rhyner, senior director in 3M’s Corporate Research Analytical Lab. “It’s quite another level when our team fundamentally understands the problem that needs to be solved and has the knowledge to apply the appropriate tools to solve that problem.”

For 3M Chief Technology Officer John Banovetz, the new microscope reflects the company’s longstanding commitment to science as the foundation for innovation.

“This microscope will be an important tool to enable new-to-the-world innovations in advanced materials, such as multi-layer, nanostructured films for optical displays,” Banovetz said. “3M is a science company, and staying on the cutting edge of technology is essential to understanding the fundamentals of our products so we can differentiate our solutions and continue to solve problems for our customers.”