Perea is interested in developing new applications of APT analysis to study the 3D atomic-scale composition of materials traditionally not studied before using this technique. This includes the use of APT to study biological organic materials, such as proteins and ionic gradients to better understand the complex chemical language cells and microbes used to communicate and perform fundamental functions relevant to energy and the environment. This pioneering work involves the development of unique cryo-based specimen preparation and environmentally protected transfer techniques compatible with APT analysis.
Other areas where Perea is pushing the limits of APT analysis is to study biominerals and geominerals to understand both the structure and composition of buried organic/inorganic interfaces. His efforts in cryogenic specimen preparation are allowing the analysis of liquid/solid interfaces in nanostructured materials, as well as mapping dissolved ionic gradients.