Search Thermo Fisher Scientific
Applications of environmental scanning electron microscopy for in situ analysis
In the past, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) has been known generally as a high-vacuum imaging technique. However, industries in many fields such as wood products, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, cotton, and polymers make use of the hygroscopic characteristics of these products to control the humidity in production and to understand how long-term storage of such materials can be affected by changes in water content. In this perspective, Environmental scanning electron microscopy (ESEM) has expanded the boundaries of traditional SEM to deliver deeper insights into a wider variety of sample types by providing a way to observe and record the above-mentioned changes at high resolution.
With the Thermo Scientific Quattro ESEM, materials and life scientists are now able to observe real-time material interactions with water, with the possibility to conduct in situ experiments by taking advantage of the introduction of gasses to characterize dynamic changes.
In addition to that, when working at high temperatures is needed, the Quattro ESEM allows to study any material’s thermal cycling thanks to several different possibilities for heating the samples of interest, both in bulk and powders. Thanks to its extreme versatility, dynamic experiments can be performed at high temperatures both in low vacuum, high vacuum, and on localized areas for better control of the temperature change.
In situ battery research
Advance cathode technology is an important step in batteries production. An in-depth understanding of the crystal growth process and mechanism is required to optimize the cathode synthesis process. Ex situ imaging can provide structural evolution information at different synthesis conditions. However, there are always some uncertainties in the sample preparation process that impact the interpretation of the data. For example, in a heating experiment, the material’s structure may have changed during the sample cooling process before characterization in the SEM. Therefore, in situ experiments are preferred to accurately capture the structural evolution process.
In situ metals research
The characterization of high-temperature phenomena, such as particle melting and recrystallization, grain growth, or phase changes, is important in various fields both from a research perspective and from an industrial point of view. In a typical QA/QC laboratory thermal stability tests on final products are performed while in research facilities the usability of a specific material depending on its behavior and characteristics when submitted to rapid heating treatments needs to be assed.
In situ polymer analysis
Polymers play a vital role in our daily lives, making up everything from household products and textiles to transportation, aviation, and aerospace components that move the world. As the polymer microstructure determines the overall performance of these vital functional products, they must be studied and optimized at corresponding scales.
Electron microscopy (EM) plays an indispensable role in the characterization and analysis of polymers, providing a range of critical information about morphology, topography, and composition.
Real-world materials applications often take place under variable environmental conditions, either from a temperature or a humidity perspective. Understanding what changes at the microscale can help to control the corresponding behavior of the bulk material.
In situ geology
Scanning electron microscopes (SEMs) are fundamental tools in the study of geological samples. The applications of SEM to geology range from petrology to mineralogy, to extract, for example, accurate textural analysis, the distribution of minerals within the rock texture.
This information is key to accurately describe the physical and chemical aspects of a rock system and it is often important to understand their changes under evolving temperature, humidity or pressure conditions.
Being able to run cooling experiments, for example, can provide insights on the dissolution and recrystallization of salts to study their behavior.
In situ nanotechnology analysis
Nanotechnology has nowadays been redefining the way products are made in many industries such as food, cosmetics, medicine, or textile companies. Studying their shapes, composition, sizes and being able to fully characterize them is key to assess their impact on the final products but also their impact from a safety and quality perspective. As nanotechnology-based products start to proliferate, their environmental impacts are also being studied and that include the need to test the nanoparticles behavior under extreme conditions such as extremely high temperatures.
In the past, such studies were typically performed via scanning electron microscopy (SEM) on room-temperature characterization of materials before and after the heat treatment.
However, this approach has limitations; for instance, it does not allow you to directly observe the microstructural evolution of the material of interest.
In situ capabilities, however, allow to study changes and evolutions during heating and cooling ramps without removing the sample from the SEM hence avoiding the risk to lose the area of interest.
For Research Use Only. Not for use in diagnostic procedures.