Multimodal x-ray and electron microscopy of an Allende meteorite sample*

Correlative multimodal microscopy that combines complementary nanoscale imaging techniques is essential for extracting comprehensive chemical, structural, and functional information of heterogeneous complex samples. Advanced electron microscopy provides atomic-scale spatial resolution with quantitative elemental composition, while x-ray microscopy can achieve high-resolution imaging of bulk materials with chemical, magnetic, electronic, and bond orientation contrast. In our recent work (Science Advances 5, eaax3009, 2019), we combine x-ray ptychography and scanning transmission x-ray spectromicroscopy with 3D energy-dispersive spectroscopy and electron tomography to perform structural and chemical mapping of an Allende meteorite sample as a model system. We use textural and quantitative elemental information to infer its mineral composition and discuss potential processes that occurred. This multimodal x-ray and electron microscopy of the same sample overcomes the limitations of individual imaging modalities and opens up a route to future multiscale microscopies of complex functional materials and biological systems.