Analytical scanning electron microscopy

Aerosol Heterogeneity. The variation of the chemical composition from particle to particle within an aerosol size class has been probed in a number of ways. Single-particle chemical analysis has been achieved by using the laser Raman microprobe (25) and analytical scanning electron microscopy (26). With the electron microscope techniques, the particle can be sized as well as analyzed chemically, so the need for classification prior to sample collection is reduced. Analyzing hundreds to thousands of particles provides the information necessary to track the particles back to their different sources but is extremely time consuming. 

D. Wienke, Y. Xie, and P. K. Hopke, Anal. Chim. Acta, 310, 1 (1995). Classification of Airborne Particles by Analytical Scanning Electron Microscopy Imaging and a Modified Kohonen Neural Network (3 MAP). 

In contrast to many other surface analytical techniques, like e. g. scanning electron microscopy, AFM does not require vacuum. Therefore, it can be operated under ambient conditions which enables direct observation of processes at solid-gas and solid-liquid interfaces. The latter can be accomplished by means of a liquid cell which is schematically shown in Fig. 5.6. The cell is formed by the sample at the bottom, a glass cover - holding the cantilever - at the top, and a silicone o-ring seal between. Studies with such a liquid cell can also be performed under potential control which opens up valuable opportunities for electrochemistry [5.11, 5.12]. Moreover, imaging under liquids opens up the possibility to protect sensitive surfaces by in-situ preparation and imaging under an inert fluid [5.13]. 

Analytical studies, using scanning electron microscopy and electron microprobe techniques (see Textbox 10), revealed that the mixture used for making this particular type of ceramic material consists mainly of clay, comminuted... 

In an article published in Analytical Chemistry in 2004, Keune and Boon [2004a] present the application of ToF-SIMS analysis to a paint cross-section. The sample used was from the panel painting The Descent from the Cross (Museo del Prado, Madrid) by the early Flemish painter Rogier van der Weyden (1399/1400 1464). Scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive X-ray analysis (SEM-EDX) and infrared microscopy were also used to complete and confirm the results. 

We first experimented with the Quartz Crystal Microbalance (QCM) in order to measure the ablation rate in 1987 (12). The only technique used before was the stylus profilometer which revealed enough accuracy for etch rate of the order of 0.1 pm, but was unable to probe the region of the ablation threshold where the etch rate is expressed in a few A/pulse. Polymer surfaces are easily damaged by the probe tip and the meaning of these measurements are often questionable. Scanning electron microscopy (21) and more recently interferometry (22) were also used. The principle of the QCM was demonstrated in 1957 by Sauerbrey (22) and the technique was developed in thin film chemistiy. analytical and physical chemistry (24). The equipment used in this work is described in previous publications (25). When connected to an appropriate oscillating circuit, the basic vibration frequency (FQ) of the crystal is 5 MHz. When a film covers one of the electrodes, a negative shift <5F, proportional to its mass, is induced ... 

In addition to surface analytical techniques, microscopy, such as scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM), also provide invaluable information regarding the surface morphology, physico-chemical interaction at the fiber-matrix interface region, surface depth profile and concentration of elements. It is beyond the scope of this book to present details of all these microscopic techniques. 

Although a number of secondary minerals have been predicted to form in weathered CCB materials, few have been positively identified by physical characterization methods. Secondary phases in CCB materials may be difficult or impossible to characterize due to their low abundance and small particle size. Conventional mineral identification methods such as X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis fail to identify secondary phases that are less than 1-5% by weight of the CCB or are X-ray amorphous. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), coupled with energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), can often identify phases not seen by XRD. Additional analytical methods used to characterize trace secondary phases include infrared (IR) spectroscopy, electron microprobe (EMP) analysis, differential thermal analysis (DTA), and various synchrotron radiation techniques (e.g., micro-XRD, X-ray absorption near-eidge spectroscopy [XANES], X-ray absorption fine-structure [XAFSJ). 

Note These specifications were developed at Balazs Analytical Laboratory. Abbreviations are defined as follows DRAM, dynamic random access memory VLSI, very-large-scale integration ULSI, ultralarge-scale integration TOC, total oxidizable carbon THM, trihalomethane SEM, scanning electron microscopy and EPI, epifluorescence... 

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