Nuclear energy production critically depends on the reliable performance of a wide variety of materials working in concert under unique and often extreme operating conditions. Understanding and optimizing this performance, qualifying materials, and preventing premature failure similarly depends on a comprehensive understanding of these materials at the microstructural level. Due to the characteristics of the materials used, however, analyzing materials for nuclear energy production presents unique challenges. In this talk we will discuss some of the unique solutions that enable characterization of these materials with advanced microscopy techniques, including electron, ion, and x-ray microscopy, and present some examples highlighting novel characterization workflows enabled by these capabilities.

Key Learnings:

• ZEISS has a number of custom solutions designed with the unique safety requirements of nuclear energy research.
• Several accessories are presented, such as the new ZEISS hotcell STEM detector.
• As an application demonstration, a multiscale, correlative, 3D analysis of nuclear graphite is presented.