Led by ICREA Research Prof. Jordi Arbiol, the aim of this group is to apply advanced electron microscopy tools and related spectroscopies (EELS, EDX and CL) to the understanding of the nanoworld down to the atomic scale. The increasing interest in materials science, nanoscience and nanotechnology has created a major global demand for nanoscopy tools that enable the observation and chemical analysis of synthesised nanostructures at the atomic scale.

Exploring the limits of physical resolution in advanced electron microscopy, and understanding the behaviour and properties of materials at the nanoscale are the central aims of the research carried out by this group. The newest research lines being pursued are based on single atom recognition and localisation in embedded quantum structures. The group also works to develop new methodologies for performing a direct correlation between the structural and chemical properties of materials at the atomic scale and their physical properties at sub-nanometre scale (photonics, plasmonics and phononics), together with a detailed atomic-level study of the growth mechanisms in nanostructures using 3D models.