The Nanocharacterization Laboratory, housed in Whitaker Lab, contains the largest collection of electron microscopes of any university in the U.S. , with a suite of 12 scanning transmission, scanning/transmission and focused ion beam instruments. These are well suited for characterizing structures and chemical composition all the way down to the nanoscale, via an unparalleled range of imaging and analytical methods.

Lehigh is the only university in the U.S. to have two aberration corrected electron microscopes. It houses the world's highest resolution x-ray analytical microscope—a VG HB603 STEM equipped with a Nion aberration corrector: a unique instrument designed for nanoscale analysis. The Nanocharacterization Laboratory also is home to a CEOS aberration corrected JEOL 2200FS TEM, fitted with an in-column omega filter for ultra high-resolution imaging and EELS performance.

The SEM capability of the Nanocharacterization Lab is extensive allowing us to cover specialist applications including EDS, WDS, EBSD, environmental and variable pressure microscopy, low-voltage imaging and cathodoluminescence. In addition, the facility houses a growing selection of scanning probe microscopes (SPM's), and a unique Scienta XPS surface science instrument.

The annual Lehigh Microscopy School is the largest and longest running electron microscopy course in the world. It utilizes the superb facilities of the Nanocharacterization Lab and is supplemented by additional microscopes brought in by instrument manufacturers for the duration of the courses.