Transmission electron microscopy tomography

Study by Transmission Electron Microscopy Tomography of gold nanoparticles in reduced Au/zeolites... 

Florea, L, Ersen, O., Arenal, R. et al. 2012. 3D analysis of the morphology and spatial distribution of nitrogen in nitrogen-doped carbon nanotubes by energy-filtered transmission electron microscopy tomography. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 134 9672-9680. 

Tomography was applied during Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) analysis of various reduced Au/zeolite samples. The size and location of the gold nanoparticles as a function of the support characteristics and preparation method are discussed. 

Interestingly, the cellular distribution was analyzed by energy-filtered transmission electron microscopy and electron tomography, demonstrating the presence of free fullerene in the cytoplasm, or associated with nuclear membrane, plasma membrane, lysosomes and, rather surprisingly, with the nucleus (Porter et al., 2006, 2007). 

Porter AE, Gass M, Muller K, Skepper JN, Midgley P, Welland M (2007) Visualizing the uptake of C60 to the cytoplasm and nucleus of human monocyte-derived macrophage cells using energy-filtered transmission electron microscopy and electron tomography. Environ. Sci. Technol. 41 3012-3017. 

Table 5.2 Summary of selected analytical methods for molecular environmental geochemistry. AAS Atomic absorption spectroscopy AFM Atomic force microscopy (also known as SFM) CT Computerized tomography EDS Energy dispersive spectrometry. EELS Electron energy loss spectroscopy EM Electron microscopy EPR Electron paramagnetic resonance (also known as ESR) ESR Electron spin resonance (also known as EPR) EXAFS Extended X-ray absorption fine structure FUR Fourier transform infrared FIR-TEM Fligh-resolution transmission electron microscopy ICP-AES Inductively-coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry ICP-MS Inductively-coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Reproduced by permission of American Geophysical Union. O Day PA (1999) Molecular environmental geochemistry. Rev Geophysics 37 249-274. Copyright 1999 American Geophysical Union...

To obtain the morphology information, including phase separation and crystalline, we can now use microscopic techniques, atomic force microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, electron tomography, variable-angle spectroscopic ellipsometry. X-ray photoemission spectroscopy, and grazing-incidence X-ray diffraction. The detailed information of this characterization methods can be found from the specific reference (Li et al., 2012 Huang et al., 2014). 

Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and high-resolution TEM gives invaluable information about the fine structure of the nanopores of the zeolites, crystal orientation, their lattice fringes and lattice composition, and crystallinity (by using electron diffraction). Even 3D morphology with nanometer resolution is achievable using electron tomography. 

The influence of polydispersity on the morphology will be addressed later in Section 7.02.2.3. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and TEM tomography on ultrathin cut sample films are the most used methods for investigating the bulk morphological properties of block copolymers. Small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) is used as well, especially when the sample is subjected to external fields (mechanical stress, electric field) or the temperature is changed continuously or suddenly. 

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