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Published online by Cambridge University Press: 11 February 2011
A new transmission electron microscope equipped with a monochromator and a high resolution energy-filter was used for the first time to fully exploit the chemical bonding information contained in the near edge fine structures (ELNES) of electron energy-loss spectra. The instrument is capable of acquiring spectra with an energy resolution in the range of 0.1 eV, thus opening up the way for improved ELNES information. ELNES spectra of TiO2 and CoO have been recorded and are compared with data obtained with a conventional microscope and with x-ray absorption spectroscopy. In case of the L2,3 edges of the transition metals the new instrument revealed previously unobservable fine structure details, but for the O K edges the improved energy resolution does not result in more detailed structural features than observable in common microscopes. Furthermore, the potential of the new microscope to obtain chemical bonding information at the nanometer scale is discussed.