Using a pulsed electron beam, the group of Jacob Hoogenboom at the TU Delft shows that cathodoluminescence lifetime is a powerful technique for distinguishing different nanoparticles. 

This research showed that it is possible to measure the emission intensity of cathodoluminescence nanoparticles (CNPs) while they are being excited by a pulsed electron beam. By measuring each pixel in the intensity map, the instrinsic lifetime associated with the type of emitted at that location could be measured thereby allowing the researchers to discriminate between various CNPs in the time domain. 

This research attests to the versality of the SECOM system, being able to perform a range of measurements for a growing number of applications. The open-source article can be read here.