SEM BEYOND IMAGING – IN SITU SEM EXPERIMENTS

Scanning electron microscopes - SEMs are extensively used in life, chemical and physical sciences. The SEM ability to image surface details and morphology at different length scales, from millimeter to nanometer, together with its remarkable depth of focus makes it an excellent imaging tool for a wide variety of applications. Nevertheless, SEMs can be easily transformed into an advanced laboratory with materials’ synthesis and characterization capabilities.

For instance, nanoparticles are routinely imaged with electron microscopy, both scanning and transmission; where their properties such as size and shape can be easily observed. Further characterization of the nanoparticles’ properties such as mechanical and electrical can be achieved using miniaturized devices that were developed for in-situ SEM measurements. This in-situ SEM approach enables simultaneously imaging and physical properties measurements of a single nanoparticle.

Growth, aggregation and/or morphological changes of nanoparticles under elevated temperatures can be observed as well. By adding heating elements and changing the SEM chamber’s atmosphere (by introducing various gases) synthesis can be performed in-situ SEM.

Several in-situ SEM experiments will be described here. Mechanical testing of nanotubes and nanoparticles under different loading conditions; tensile, buckling and compressions will be presented. The wetting of single nanotubes and the measurement of adhesion forces will be also presented as well as the migration of gold nanoparticles under elevated temperatures.

All these experiments will provide an overview of the wide capabilities of scanning electron microscopy beyond imaging.