Photoelectron microscopy at Elettra: Recent advances and perspectives

Highlights: • Synchrotron-based SPEM and PEEM accessing complexity of functional materials at meso and nano-scales. • Exotic properties of graphene-based materials revealed by SPEM and PEEM. • Overcoming pressure gap for in-operando SPEM experiments. • Spin-resolved PEEM for exploring magnetism at nanoscale. - Abstract: The complementary capabilities of the Scanning PhotoElectron Microscopes (SPEM) and X-ray PhotoEmission Electron Microscopes (XPEEM), operated at Elettra, in terms of imaging and micro-spectroscopy have opened unique opportunities to explore properties of functional materials as a function of their morphology and dimensions and to follow modifications in their properties during their operation. This paper describes the present performance of SPEMs and XPEEMs at Elettra, illustrated by selected recent studies relevant to graphene science. Ongoing efforts for implementing SPEM set-ups allowing for in-situ investigations under realistic operating conditions and PEEM set-up for spin-filtered momentum microscopy are outlined and discussed as well.