Imagine holding a crystal in your hand – a beautiful, transparent, or colourful solid that shines in the light. Crystals, whether they are gemstones, snowflakes, or even sugar, are composed of atoms arranged in a precise, repeating pattern. Scientists have long been captivated by crystals, as deciphering their atomic structures can unlock vital secrets in chemistry, biology, medicine, and materials science.

Electron crystallography methods, including MicroED and SerialED, are cutting-edge techniques that allow scientists to determine the atomic structure of crystals. These methods provide crucial insights into understanding the structure-property relationships in materials and chemical/biological molecules. Electron crystallography methods are implemented on an electron microscope, a tool that can image structures at a scale much smaller than what light microscopes can achieve. By shooting a beam of electrons through a tiny crystal, patterns of scattered electrons are created. These patterns are like fingerprints of the crystal’s atomic structure. By analysing them, scientists can reconstruct a detailed 3D map, pinpointing the location of each atom within the crystal.

In Xu group, our mission is to develop new electron crystallography methods for crystal structure characterisation, at the same time, improving the capability, robustness and availability of these methods. By doing so, we aim to equip chemists, biologists, and material scientists with innovative tools for ground breaking research.