Morphology-controllable of Sn doped ZnO nanorods prepared by spray pyrolysis for transparent electrode application

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hameed, M. Shahul; Princice, J. Joseph; Babu, N. Ramesh; Zahirullah, S. Syed; Deshmukh, Sampat G.; Arunachalam, A.

2018-05-01

Transparent conductive Sn doped ZnO nanorods have been deposited at various doping level by spray pyrolysis technique on glass substrate. The structural, surface morphological and optical properties of these films have been investigated with the help of X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), atomic force microscope (AFM) and UV-Vis spectrophotometer respectively. XRD patterns revealed a successful high quality growth of single crystal ZnO nanorods with hexagonal wurtzite structure having (002) preferred orientation. The scanning electron microscope (SEM) image of the prepared films exposed the uniform distribution of Sn doped ZnO nanorod shaped grains. All these films were highly transparent in the visible region with average transmittance of 90%.

A history of scanning electron microscopy developments: towards "wet-STEM" imaging.

PubMed

Bogner, A; Jouneau, P-H; Thollet, G; Basset, D; Gauthier, C

2007-01-01

A recently developed imaging mode called "wet-STEM" and new developments in environmental scanning electron microscopy (ESEM) allows the observation of nano-objects suspended in a liquid phase, with a few manometers resolution and a good signal to noise ratio. The idea behind this technique is simply to perform STEM-in-SEM, that is SEM in transmission mode, in an environmental SEM. The purpose of the present contribution is to highlight the main advances that contributed to development of the wet-STEM technique. Although simple in principle, the wet-STEM imaging mode would have been limited before high brightness electron sources became available, and needed some progresses and improvements in ESEM. This new technique extends the scope of SEM as a high-resolution microscope, relatively cheap and widely available imaging tool, for a wider variety of samples.

Electron tomography of whole cultured cells using novel transmission electron imaging technique.

PubMed

Okumura, Taiga; Shoji, Minami; Hisada, Akiko; Ominami, Yusuke; Ito, Sukehiro; Ushiki, Tatsuo; Nakajima, Masato; Ohshima, Takashi

2018-01-01

Since a three-dimensional (3D) cellular ultrastructure is significant for biological functions, it has been investigated using various electron microscopic techniques. Although transmission electron microscopy (TEM)-based techniques are traditionally used, cells must be embedded in resin and sliced into ultrathin sections in sample preparation processes. Block-face observation using a scanning electron microscope (SEM) has also been recently applied to 3D observation of cellular components, but this is a destructive inspection and does not allow re-examination. Therefore, we developed electron tomography using a transmission electron imaging technique called Plate-TEM. With Plate-TEM, the cells cultured directly on a scintillator plate are inserted into a conventional SEM equipped with a Plate-TEM observation system, and their internal structures are observed by detecting scintillation light produced by electrons passing through the cells. This technology has the following four advantages. First, the cells cultured on the plate can be observed at electron-microscopic resolution since they remain on the plate. Second, both surface and internal information can be obtained simultaneously by using electron- and photo-detectors, respectively, because a Plate-TEM detector is installed in an SEM. Third, the cells on the scintillator plate can also be inspected using light microscopy because the plate has transparent features. Finally, correlative observation with other techniques, such as conventional TEM, is possible after Plate-TEM observation because Plate-TEM is a non-destructive analysis technique. We also designed a sample stage to tilt the samples for tomography with Plate-TEM, by which 3D organization of cellular structures can be visualized as a whole cell. In the present study, Mm2T cells were investigated using our tomography system, resulting in 3D visualization of cell organelles such as mitochondria, lipid droplets, and microvilli. Correlative observations with various imaging techniques were also conducted by successive observations with light microscopy, SEM, Plate-TEM, and conventional TEM. Consequently, the Plate-TEM tomography technique encourages understanding of cellular structures at high resolution, which can contribute to cellular biological research. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Distinction between amorphous and healed planar deformation features in shocked quartz using composite color scanning electron microscope cathodoluminescence (SEM-CL) imaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hamers, Maartje F.; Pennock, Gill M.; Herwegh, Marco; Drury, Martyn R.

2016-10-01

Planar deformation features (PDFs) in quartz are one of the most reliable and most widely used forms of evidence for hypervelocity impact. PDFs can be identified in scanning electron microscope cathodoluminescence (SEM-CL) images, but not all PDFs show the same CL behavior: there are nonluminescent and red luminescent PDFs. This study aims to explain the origin of the different CL emissions in PDFs. Focused ion beam (FIB) thin foils were prepared of specific sample locations selected in composite color SEM-CL images and were analyzed in a transmission electron microscope (TEM). The FIB preparation technique allowed a direct, often one-to-one correlation between the CL images and the defect structure observed in TEM. This correlation shows that composite color SEM-CL imaging allows distinction between amorphous PDFs on one hand and healed PDFs and basal Brazil twins on the other: nonluminescent PDFs are amorphous, while healed PDFs and basal Brazil twins are red luminescent, with a dominant emission peak at 650 nm. We suggest that the red luminescence is the result of preferential beam damage along dislocations, fluid inclusions, and twin boundaries. Furthermore, a high-pressure phase (possibly stishovite) in PDFs can be detected in color SEM-CL images by its blue luminescence.

Symposium N: Materials and Devices for Thermal-to-Electric Energy Conversion

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-08-24

X - ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and dynamic light scattering. Thermal conductivity measurements...SEM), X - ray diffraction (XRD) measurements as well as Raman spectroscopy. The results from these techniques indicate a clear modification...was examined by using scanning electron microscope (SEM; HITACHI S-4500 model) attached with an energy dispersive x - ray spectroscopy. The electrical

Microcircuit failure analysis using the SEM. [Scanning Electron Microscopes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nicolas, D. P.

1974-01-01

The scanning electron microscope adds a new dimension to the knowledge that can be obtained from a failed microcircuit. When used with conventional techniques, SEM assists and clarifies the analysis, but it does not replace light microscopy. The most advantageous features for microcircuit analysis are long working distances and great depth of field. Manufacturer related failure modes of microcircuits are metallization defects, poor bonding, surface and particle contamination, and design and fabrication faults. User related failure modes are caused by abuse, such as overstress. The Physics of Failure Procedure followed by the Astrionics Laboratory in failure analysis is described, which is designed to obtain maximum information available from each step.

Microscopic Observation of the Side Surface of Dynamically-Tensile-Fractured 6061-T6 and 2219-T87 Aluminum Alloys with Pre-Fatigue

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Itabashi, Masaaki; Nakajima, Shigeru; Fukuda, Hiroshi

After unexpected failure of metallic structure, microscopic investigation will be performed. Generally, such an investigation is limited to search striation pattern with a SEM (scanning electron microscope). But, when the cause of the failure was not severe repeated stress, this investigation is ineffective. In this paper, new microscopic observation technique is proposed to detect low cycle fatigue-impact tensile loading history. Al alloys, 6061-T6 and 2219-T87, were fractured in dynamic tension, after severe pre-fatigue. The side surface of the fractured specimens was observed with a SEM. Neighboring fractured surface, many opened cracks on the side surface have been generated. For each specimen, the number of the cracks was counted together with information of individual sizes and geometric features. For 6061-T6 alloy specimen with the pre-fatigue, the number of the cracks is greater than that for the specimen without the pre-fatigue. For 2219-T87 alloy, the same tendency can be found after a certain screening of the crack counting. Therefore, the crack counting technique may be useful to detect the existence of the pre-fatigue from the dynamically fractured specimen surface.

Diffusion length measurement using the scanning electron microscope. [for silicon solar cell

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Weizer, V. G.

1975-01-01

The present work describes a measuring technique employing the scanning electron microscope in which values of the true bulk diffusion length are obtained. It is shown that surface recombination effects can be eliminated through application of highly doped surface field layers. The effects of high injection level and low-high junction current generation are investigated. Results obtained with this technique are compared to those obtained by a penetrating radiation (X-ray) method, and a close agreement is found. The SEM technique is limited to cells that contain a back surface field layer.

Size determination of Acipenser ruthenus spermatozoa in different types of electron microscopy.

PubMed

Psenicka, Martin; Tesarová, Martina; Tesitel, Jakub; Nebesárová, Jana

2010-07-01

In this study three types of scanning electron microscopes were used for the size determination of spermatozoa of sterlet Acipenser ruthenus - high vacuum scanning electron microscope (SEM, JEOL 6300), environmental scanning electron microscope (ESEM, Quanta 200 FEG), field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM, JEOL 7401F) with cryoattachment Alto 2500 (Gatan) and transmission electron microscope (TEM, JEOL 1010). The use of particular microscopes was tied with different specimen preparation techniques. The aim of this study was to evaluate to what degree the type of used electron microscope can influence the size of different parts of spermatozoa. For high vacuum SEM the specimen was prepared using two slightly different procedures. After chemical fixation with 2.5% glutaraldehyde in 0.1M phosphate buffer and post-fixation by 1% osmium tetroxide, the specimen was dehydrated by acetone series and dried either by critical point method or by means of t-butylalcohol. For ESEM fresh, unfixed material was used, which was dropped on microscopic copper grids. In FESEM working in cryo-mode the specimen was observed in a frozen state. Ultrathin sections from chemically fixed and Epon embedded specimens were prepared for TEM observation. Distinct parts of sterlet spermatozoa were measured in each microscope and the data obtained was statistically processed. Results confirmed that the classical chemical procedure of specimen preparation for SEM including critical point drying method led to a significant contraction of all measured values, which could deviate up to 30% in comparison with values measured on the fresh chemically untreated specimen in ESEM. Surprisingly sperm dimensions determinated on ultrathin sections by TEM are comparable with values obtained in ESEM or FESEM. Copyright 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

SEM-microphotogrammetry, a new take on an old method for generating high-resolution 3D models from SEM images.

PubMed

Ball, A D; Job, P A; Walker, A E L

2017-08-01

The method we present here uses a scanning electron microscope programmed via macros to automatically capture dozens of images at suitable angles to generate accurate, detailed three-dimensional (3D) surface models with micron-scale resolution. We demonstrate that it is possible to use these Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) images in conjunction with commercially available software originally developed for photogrammetry reconstructions from Digital Single Lens Reflex (DSLR) cameras and to reconstruct 3D models of the specimen. These 3D models can then be exported as polygon meshes and eventually 3D printed. This technique offers the potential to obtain data suitable to reconstruct very tiny features (e.g. diatoms, butterfly scales and mineral fabrics) at nanometre resolution. Ultimately, we foresee this as being a useful tool for better understanding spatial relationships at very high resolution. However, our motivation is also to use it to produce 3D models to be used in public outreach events and exhibitions, especially for the blind or partially sighted. © 2017 The Authors Journal of Microscopy © 2017 Royal Microscopical Society.

Novel perovskite coating of strontium zirconate in Inconel substrate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Venkatesh, G.; Blessto, B.; Rao, C. Santhosh Kumar; Subramanian, R.; Berchmans, L. John

2018-02-01

Thermal Barrier Coatings (TBC) provides a low thermal conductivity barrier to heat transfer from the hot gas in the engine to the surface of the coated alloy component. SrZrO3 powder are prepared by Sol Gel synthesis method. The synthesized powder sample is characterized by X Ray Diffraction Technique (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) and Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM) and the results are interpreted. The Polycrystalline nature of SrZrO3 is confirmed and lattice spacing are determined in XRD. SEM shows sub-micron sized particles and a fringed pattern is observed in TEM. The IN718 specimen is Wire Cut and Sand Blasted. A SrZrO3 double layer is coated over the Inconel specimen through a Bond Coat made of NiCoCrAlY by Plasma spraying Process and also characterized. SEM analysis of the Coating shows diffusion of Fe, Sr into the substrate.

Correlative fractography: combining scanning electron microscopy and light microscopes for qualitative and quantitative analysis of fracture surfaces.

PubMed

Hein, Luis Rogerio de Oliveira; de Oliveira, José Alberto; de Campos, Kamila Amato

2013-04-01

Correlative fractography is a new expression proposed here to describe a new method for the association between scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and light microscopy (LM) for the qualitative and quantitative analysis of fracture surfaces. This article presents a new method involving the fusion of one elevation map obtained by extended depth from focus reconstruction from LM with exactly the same area by SEM and associated techniques, as X-ray mapping. The true topographic information is perfectly associated to local fracture mechanisms with this new technique, presented here as an alternative to stereo-pair reconstruction for the investigation of fractured components. The great advantage of this technique resides in the possibility of combining any imaging methods associated with LM and SEM for the same observed field from fracture surface.

Characterization of some biological specimens using TEM and SEM

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ghosh, Nabarun; Smith, Don W.

2009-05-01

The advent of novel techniques using the Transmission and Scanning Electron Microscopes improved observation on various biological specimens to characterize them. We studied some biological specimens using Transmission and Scanning Electron Microscopes. We followed negative staining technique with Phosphotungstic acid using bacterial culture of Bacillus subtilis. Negative staining is very convenient technique to view the structural morphology of different samples including bacteria, phage viruses and filaments in a cell. We could observe the bacterial cell wall and flagellum very well when trapped the negative stained biofilm from bacterial culture on a TEM grid. We cut ultra thin sections from the fixed root tips of Pisum sativum (Garden pea). Root tips were pre fixed with osmium tetroxide and post fixed with uranium acetate and placed in the BEEM capsule for block making. The ultrathin sections on the grid under TEM showed the granular chromatin in the nucleus. The protein bodies and large vacuoles with the storage materials were conspicuous. We followed fixation, critical point drying and sputter coating with gold to view the tissues with SEM after placing on stubs. SEM view of the leaf surface of a dangerous weed Tragia hispida showed the surface trichomes. These trichomes when break on touching releases poisonous content causing skin irritation. The cultured tissue from in vitro culture of Albizia lebbeck, a tree revealed the regenerative structures including leaf buds and stomata on the tissue surface. SEM and TEM allow investigating the minute details characteristic morphological features that can be used for classroom teaching.

A microscopic evaluation of collagen-bilirubin interactions: in vitro surface phenomenon.

PubMed

Usharani, N; Jayakumar, G C; Rao, J R; Chandrasekaran, B; Nair, B U

2014-02-01

This study is carried out to understand the morphology variations of collagen I matrices influenced by bilirubin. The characteristics of bilirubin interaction with collagen ascertained using various techniques like XRD, CLSM, fluorescence, SEM and AFM. These techniques are used to understand the distribution, expression and colocalization patterns of collagen-bilirubin complexes. The present investigation mimic the in vivo mechanisms created during the disorder condition like jaundice. Fluorescence technique elucidates the crucial role played by bilirubin deposition and interaction during collagen organization. Influence of bilirubin during collagen fibrillogenesis and banding patterns are clearly visualize using SEM. As a result, collagen-bilirubin complex provides different reconstructed patterns because of the influence of bilirubin concentration. Selectivity, specificity and spatial organization of collagen-bilirubin are determined through AFM imaging. Consequently, it is observed that the morphology and quantity of the bilirubin binding to collagen varied by the concentrations and the adsorption rate in protein solutions. Microscopic studies of collagen-bilirubin interaction confirms that bilirubin influence the fibrillogenesis and alter the rate of collagen organization depending on the bilirubin concentration. This knowledge helps to develop a novel drug to inhibit the interface point of interaction between collagen and bilirubin. © 2013 The Authors Journal of Microscopy © 2013 Royal Microscopical Society.

A scanning electron microscope technique for studying the sclerites of Cichlidogyrus.

PubMed

Fannes, Wouter; Vanhove, Maarten P M; Huyse, Tine; Paladini, Giuseppe

2015-05-01

The genus Cichlidogyrus (Monogenea: Ancyrocephalidae) includes more than 90 species, most of which are gill parasites of African cichlid fishes. Cichlidogyrus has been studied extensively in recent years, but scanning electron microscope (SEM) investigations of the isolated hard parts have not yet been undertaken. In this paper, we describe a method for isolating and scanning the sclerites of individual Cichlidogyrus worms. Twenty-year-old, formol-fixed specimens of Cichlidogyrus casuarinus were subjected to proteinase K digestion in order to release the sclerites from the surrounding soft tissues. SEM micrographs of the haptoral sclerites and the male copulatory organ are presented. The ability to digest formol-fixed specimens makes this method a useful tool for the study of historical museum collections.

Helium ion microscopy and energy selective scanning electron microscopy - two advanced microscopy techniques with complementary applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rodenburg, C.; Jepson, M. A. E.; Boden, Stuart A.; Bagnall, Darren M.

2014-06-01

Both scanning electron microscopes (SEM) and helium ion microscopes (HeIM) are based on the same principle of a charged particle beam scanning across the surface and generating secondary electrons (SEs) to form images. However, there is a pronounced difference in the energy spectra of the emitted secondary electrons emitted as result of electron or helium ion impact. We have previously presented evidence that this also translates to differences in the information depth through the analysis of dopant contrast in doped silicon structures in both SEM and HeIM. Here, it is now shown how secondary electron emission spectra (SES) and their relation to depth of origin of SE can be experimentally exploited through the use of energy filtering (EF) in low voltage SEM (LV-SEM) to access bulk information from surfaces covered by damage or contamination layers. From the current understanding of the SES in HeIM it is not expected that EF will be as effective in HeIM but an alternative that can be used for some materials to access bulk information is presented.

Quantitative Determination of Noa (Naturally Occurring Asbestos) in Rocks : Comparison Between Pcom and SEM Analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baietto, Oliviero; Amodeo, Francesco; Giorgis, Ilaria; Vitaliti, Martina

2017-04-01

The quantification of NOA (Naturally Occurring Asbestos) in a rock or soil matrix is complex and subject to numerous errors. The purpose of this study is to compare two fundamental methodologies used for the analysis: the first one uses Phase Contrast Optical Microscope (PCOM) while the second one uses Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM). The two methods, although they provide the same result, which is the asbestos mass to total mass ratio, have completely different characteristics and both present pros and cons. The current legislation in Italy involves the use of SEM, DRX, FTIR, PCOM (DM 6/9/94) for the quantification of asbestos in bulk materials and soils and the threshold beyond which the material is considered as hazardous waste is a concentration of asbestos fiber of 1000 mg/kg.(DM 161/2012). The most used technology is the SEM which is the one among these with the better analytical sensitivity.(120mg/Kg DM 6 /9/94) The fundamental differences among the analyses are mainly: - Amount of analyzed sample portion - Representativeness of the sample - Resolution - Analytical precision - Uncertainty of the methodology - Operator errors Due to the problem of quantification of DRX and FTIR (1% DM 6/9/94) our Asbestos Laboratory (DIATI POLITO) since more than twenty years apply the PCOM methodology and in the last years the SEM methodology for quantification of asbestos content. The aim of our research is to compare the results obtained from a PCOM analysis with the results provided by SEM analysis on the base of more than 100 natural samples both from cores (tunnel-boring or explorative-drilling) and from tunnelling excavation . The results obtained show, in most cases, a good correlation between the two techniques. Of particular relevance is the fact that both techniques are reliable for very low quantities of asbestos, even lower than the analytical sensitivity. This work highlights the comparison between the two techniques emphasizing strengths and weaknesses of the two procedures and suggests how an integrated approach, together with the skills and experience of the operator may be the best way forward in order to obtain a constructive improvement of analysis techniques.

Integration of a high-NA light microscope in a scanning electron microscope.

PubMed

Zonnevylle, A C; Van Tol, R F C; Liv, N; Narvaez, A C; Effting, A P J; Kruit, P; Hoogenboom, J P

2013-10-01

We present an integrated light-electron microscope in which an inverted high-NA objective lens is positioned inside a scanning electron microscope (SEM). The SEM objective lens and the light objective lens have a common axis and focal plane, allowing high-resolution optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy on the same area of a sample simultaneously. Components for light illumination and detection can be mounted outside the vacuum, enabling flexibility in the construction of the light microscope. The light objective lens can be positioned underneath the SEM objective lens during operation for sub-10 μm alignment of the fields of view of the light and electron microscopes. We demonstrate in situ epifluorescence microscopy in the SEM with a numerical aperture of 1.4 using vacuum-compatible immersion oil. For a 40-nm-diameter fluorescent polymer nanoparticle, an intensity profile with a FWHM of 380 nm is measured whereas the SEM performance is uncompromised. The integrated instrument may offer new possibilities for correlative light and electron microscopy in the life sciences as well as in physics and chemistry. © 2013 The Authors Journal of Microscopy © 2013 Royal Microscopical Society.

Depth-section imaging of swine kidney by spectrally encoded microscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liao, Jiuling; Gao, Wanrong

2016-10-01

The kidneys are essential regulatory organs whose main function is to regulate the balance of electrolytes in the blood, along with maintaining pH homeostasis. The study of the microscopic structure of the kidney will help identify kidney diseases associated with specific renal histology change. Spectrally encoded microscopy (SEM) is a new reflectance microscopic imaging technique in which a grating is used to illuminate different positions along a line on the sample with different wavelengths, reducing the size of system and imaging time. In this paper, a SEM device is described which is based on a super luminescent diode source and a home-built spectrometer. The lateral resolution was measured by imaging the USAF resolution target. The axial response curve was obtained as a reflect mirror was scanned through the focal plane axially. In order to test the feasibility of using SEM for depth-section imaging of an excised swine kidney tissue, the images of the samples were acquired by scanning the sample at 10 μm per step along the depth direction. Architectural features of the kidney tissue could be clearly visualized in the SEM images, including glomeruli and blood vessels. Results from this study suggest that SEM may be useful for locating regions with probabilities of kidney disease or cancer.

Acid-etching technique of non-decalcified bone samples for visualizing osteocyte-lacuno-canalicular network using scanning electron microscope.

PubMed

Lampi, Tiina; Dekker, Hannah; Ten Bruggenkate, Chris M; Schulten, Engelbert A J M; Mikkonen, Jopi J W; Koistinen, Arto; Kullaa, Arja M

2018-01-01

The aim of this study was to define the acid-etching technique for bone samples embedded in polymethyl metacrylate (PMMA) in order to visualize the osteocyte lacuno-canalicular network (LCN) for scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Human jaw bone tissue samples (N = 18) were collected from the study population consisting of patients having received dental implant surgery. After collection, the bone samples were fixed in 70% ethanol and non-decalcified samples embedded routinely into polymethyl metacrylate (PMMA). The PMMA embedded specimens were acid-etched in either 9 or 37% phosphoric acid (PA) and prepared for SEM for further analysis. PMMA embedded bone specimens acid-etched by 9% PA concentration accomplishes the most informative and favorable visualization of the LCN to be observed by SEM. Etching of PMMA embedded specimens is recommendable to start with 30 s or 40 s etching duration in order to find the proper etching duration for the samples examined. Visualizing osteocytes and LCN provides a tool to study bone structure that reflects changes in bone metabolism and diseases related to bone tissue. By proper etching protocol of non-decalcified and using scanning electron microscope it is possible to visualize the morphology of osteocytes and the network supporting vitality of bone tissue.

Remediation of uranium-contaminated groundwater by sorption onto hydoxyapatite derived from catfish bones

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Hydroxyapatite was prepared from catfish bones, called catfish hydroxyapatite (CFHA), by mechanical and chemical treatment methods and was characterized by x-ray diffraction (X-RD) and scanning electron microscope (SEM) techniques to confirm the presence of hydroxyapatite. The ability of CFHA to rem...

Gibbsite Growth History — Revelations of a New Scanning Electron Microscope Technique

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roach, Gerald I. D.; Cornell, John B.; Griffin, Brendan J.

A new scanning electron microscope technique termed charge contrast imaging (CCI), unique to the Environmental SEM, has been developed at the Centre for Microscopy and Microanalysis. The technique enables the growth history of gibbsite particles from the Bayer process to be studied. The technique is used on uncoated polished sections. The seed gibbsite is clearly distinguished from freshly precipitated gibbsite enabling information on agglomeration and growth to be unambiguously obtained. Growth rings associated with each pass through precipitation are readily observed which enables the complete growth history of a particle to be ascertained; for example batch and continuously grown gibbsites can be distinguished. Growth of gibbsite on different crystal faces can be directly measured and the presence of secondary nucleation detected. The data obtained via this technique have been confirmed using specially prepared laboratory samples. The technique is now finding wider application in areas such as medicine (examination of kidney stones), mineralogy and ceramics.

Acquisition parameters optimization of a transmission electron forward scatter diffraction system in a cold-field emission scanning electron microscope for nanomaterials characterization.

PubMed

Brodusch, Nicolas; Demers, Hendrix; Trudeau, Michel; Gauvin, Raynald

2013-01-01

Transmission electron forward scatter diffraction (t-EFSD) is a new technique providing crystallographic information with high resolution on thin specimens by using a conventional electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) system in a scanning electron microscope. In this study, the impact of tilt angle, working distance, and detector distance on the Kikuchi pattern quality were investigated in a cold-field emission scanning electron microscope (CFE-SEM). We demonstrated that t-EFSD is applicable for tilt angles ranging from -20° to -40°. Working distance (WD) should be optimized for each material by choosing the WD for which the EBSD camera screen illumination is the highest, as the number of detected electrons on the screen is directly dependent on the scattering angle. To take advantage of the best performances of the CFE-SEM, the EBSD camera should be close to the sample and oriented towards the bottom to increase forward scattered electron collection efficiency. However, specimen chamber cluttering and beam/mechanical drift are important limitations in the CFE-SEM used in this work. Finally, the importance of t-EFSD in materials science characterization was illustrated through three examples of phase identification and orientation mapping. © Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Chapter 14: Electron Microscopy on Thin Films for Solar Cells

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Romero, Manuel; Abou-Ras, Daniel; Nichterwitz, Melanie

2016-07-22

This chapter overviews the various techniques applied in scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and highlights their possibilities and also limitations. It gives the various imaging and analysis techniques applied on a scanning electron microscope. The chapter shows that imaging is divided into that making use of secondary electrons (SEs) and of backscattered electrons (BSEs), resulting in different contrasts in the images and thus providing information on compositions, microstructures, and surface potentials. Whenever aiming for imaging and analyses at scales of down to the angstroms range, TEM and its related techniques are appropriate tools. In many cases,more » also SEM techniques provide the access to various material properties of the individual layers, not requiring specimen preparation as time consuming as TEM techniques. Finally, the chapter dedicates to cross-sectional specimen preparation for electron microscopy. The preparation decides indeed on the quality of imaging and analyses.« less

Multi-scale Observation of Biological Interactions of Nanocarriers: from Nano to Macro

PubMed Central

Jin, Su-Eon; Bae, Jin Woo; Hong, Seungpyo

2010-01-01

Microscopic observations have played a key role in recent advancements in nanotechnology-based biomedical sciences. In particular, multi-scale observation is necessary to fully understand the nano-bio interfaces where a large amount of unprecedented phenomena have been reported. This review describes how to address the physicochemical and biological interactions of nanocarriers within the biological environments using microscopic tools. The imaging techniques are categorized based on the size scale of detection. For observation of the nano-scale biological interactions of nanocarriers, we discuss atomic force microscopy (AFM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). For the micro to macro-scale (in vitro and in vivo) observation, we focus on confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) as well as in vivo imaging systems such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), superconducting quantum interference devices (SQUIDs), and IVIS®. Additionally, recently developed combined techniques such as AFM-CLSM, correlative Light and Electron Microscopy (CLEM), and SEM-spectroscopy are also discussed. In this review, we describe how each technique helps elucidate certain physicochemical and biological activities of nanocarriers such as dendrimers, polymers, liposomes, and polymeric/inorganic nanoparticles, thus providing a toolbox for bioengineers, pharmaceutical scientists, biologists, and research clinicians. PMID:20232368

Modulation Spectroscopy and Opto Mechanics of Micro Toroidal Resonators

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-08-01

campus at UTRGV, 2) to initiate training of the UTRGV students in nano fabrication and clean room techniques, 3) to conduct experiments with silicon...Email: Volker.Quetschke@utb.edu RPPR Final Report as of 30-Oct-2017 Training Opportunities: During this reporting period PI and his students acquired...Lithography (EBL), Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), and Reactive Ion-Etching (RIE) techniques. The students involved in this project attended the

Large scale ZnTe nanostructures on polymer micro patterns via capillary force photolithography

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Florence, S. Sasi, E-mail: sshanmugaraj@jazanu.edu.sa; Can, N.; Adam, H.

2016-06-10

A novel approach to prepare micro patterns ZnTe nanostructures on Si (100) substrate using thermal evaporation is proposed by capillary Force Lithography (CFL) technique on a self-assembled sacrificial Polystyrene mask. Polystyrene thin films on Si substrates are used to fabricate surface micro-relief patterns. ZnTe nanoparticles have been deposited by thermal evaporation method. The deposited ZnTe nanoparticles properties were assessed by Atomic Force Microscope (AFM), Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM). SEM studies indicated that the particles are uniform in size and shape, well dispersed and spherical in shape. This study reports the micro-arrays of ZnTe nanoparticles on a self-assembled sacrificial PS maskmore » using a capillary flow photolithography process which showed excellent, morphological properties which can be used in photovoltaic devices for anti-reflection applications.« less

Attempt of correlative observation of morphological synaptic connectivity by combining confocal laser-scanning microscope and FIB-SEM for immunohistochemical staining technique.

PubMed

Sonomura, Takahiro; Furuta, Takahiro; Nakatani, Ikuko; Yamamoto, Yo; Honma, Satoru; Kaneko, Takeshi

2014-11-01

Ten years have passed since a serial block-face scanning electron microscopy (SBF-SEM) method was developed [1]. In this innovative method, samples were automatically sectioned with an ultramicrotome placed inside a scanning electron microscope column, and the block surfaces were imaged one after another by SEM to capture back-scattered electrons. The contrast-inverted images obtained by the SBF-SEM were very similar to those acquired using conventional TEM. SFB-SEM has made easy to acquire image stacks of the transmission electron microscopy (TEM) in the mesoscale, which is taken with the confocal laser-scanning microcopy(CF-LSM).Furthermore, serial-section SEM has been combined with the focused ion beam (FIB) milling method [2]. FIB-incorporated SEM (FIB-SEM) has enabled the acquisition of three-dimensional images with a higher z-axis resolution com- pared to ultramicrotome-equipped SEM.We tried immunocytochemistry for FIB-SEM and correlated this immunoreactivity with that in CF-LSM. Dendrites of neurons in the rat neostriatum were visualized using a recombinant viral vector. Moreover, the thalamostriatal afferent terminals were immunolabeled with Cy5 fluorescence for vesicular glutamate transporter 2 (VGluT2). After detection of the sites of terminals apposed to the dendrites by using CF-LSM, GFP and VGluT2 immunoreactivities were further developed for EM by using immunogold/silver enhancement and immunoperoxidase/diaminobenzidine (DAB) methods, respectively.We showed that conventional immuno-cytochemical staining for TEM was applicable to FIB-SEM. Furthermore, several synaptic contacts, which were thought to exist on the basis of CF-LSM findings, were confirmed with FIB-SEM, revealing the usefulness of the combined method of CF-LSM and FIB-SEM. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Japanese Society of Microscopy. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Nanoscale surface characterization using laser interference microscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ignatyev, Pavel S.; Skrynnik, Andrey A.; Melnik, Yury A.

2018-03-01

Nanoscale surface characterization is one of the most significant parts of modern materials development and application. The modern microscopes are expensive and complicated tools, and its use for industrial tasks is limited due to laborious sample preparation, measurement procedures, and low operation speed. The laser modulation interference microscopy method (MIM) for real-time quantitative and qualitative analysis of glass, metals, ceramics, and various coatings has a spatial resolution of 0.1 nm for vertical and up to 100 nm for lateral. It is proposed as an alternative to traditional scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) methods. It is demonstrated that in the cases of roughness metrology for super smooth (Ra >1 nm) surfaces the application of a laser interference microscopy techniques is more optimal than conventional SEM and AFM. The comparison of semiconductor test structure for lateral dimensions measurements obtained with SEM and AFM and white light interferometer also demonstrates the advantages of MIM technique.

Microstructure-Sensitive Investigation of Fracture Using Acoustic Emission Coupled With Electron Microscopy

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wisner, Brian; Cabal, Mike; Vanniamparambiland, Prashanth A.; Leser, William; Hochhalter, Jacob; Kontsos, Antonios

2015-01-01

A novel technique using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) in conjunction with Acoustic Emission (AE) monitoring is proposed to investigate microstructure-sensitive fatigue and fracture of metals. The coupling between quasi in situ microscopy with actual in situ nondestructive evaluation falls into the ICME framework and the idea of quantitative data-driven characterization of material behavior. To validate the use of AE monitoring inside the SEM chamber, Aluminum 2024-B sharp notch specimen were tested both inside and outside the microscope using a small scale mechanical testing device. Subsequently, the same type of specimen was tested inside the SEM chamber. Load data were correlated with both AE information and observations of microcracks around grain boundaries as well as secondary cracks, voids, and slip bands. The preliminary results are in excellent agreement with similar findings at the mesoscale. Extensions of the application of this novel technique are discussed.

Characterization of calcium crystals in Abelia using x-ray diffraction and electron microscopes

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Localization, chemical composition, and morphology of calcium crystals in leaves and stems of Abelia mosanensis and A. ×grandiflora were analyzed with a variable pressure scanning electron microscope (VP-SEM) equipped with an X-ray diffraction system, low temperature SEM (LT-SEM) and a transmission ...

Comparison of marginal fit of cemented zirconia copings manufactured after digital impression with lava™ C.O.S and conventional impression technique.

PubMed

Dauti, Rinet; Cvikl, Barbara; Franz, Alexander; Schwarze, Uwe Yacine; Lilaj, Bledar; Rybaczek, Tina; Moritz, Andreas

2016-12-08

Evaluation of the marginal fit of cemented zirconia copings manufactured after digital impression with Lava™ Chairside Oral Scanner in comparison to that of zirconia copings manufactured after conventional impressions with polyvinyl siloxane. A prepared typodont tooth #36, was replicated 40 times with a vinyl silicone and precise model resin. The dies were randomly divided into two groups according to the impression taking technique. Digital impressions with Lava™ C.O.S. and conventional impressions were taken according to the group. Subsequently zirconia copings were manufactured and cemented on their respective dies with zinc oxide phosphate cement. After embedding in resin, mesio-distal section of each coping was performed with a diamond saw in order to obtain two slices. One half of the specimen was used for evaluation with an optical microscope (OM) and the other half for evaluation with a scanning electron microscope (SEM). Marginal gap (MG) and absolute marginal discrepancy (AMD) were measured mesial and distal on each slice. No significant difference of the marginal parameters between the digital and the conventional group was found. The mean values for MG in the digital group were 96.28 μm (+/-43.21 μm) measured with the OM and 99.26 μm (+/-48.73 μm) measured with the SEM, respectively. AMD mean values were 191.54 μm (+/-85.42 μm) measured with the optical microscope and 211.6 μm (+/-96.55 μm) with the SEM. For the conventional group the mean MG values were 94.84 μm (+/-50.77 μm) measured with the OM and 83.37 μm (+/-44.38 μm) measured with the SEM, respectively. AMD mean values were 158.60 μm (+/-69.14 μm) for the OM and 152.72 μm (+/-72.36) for the SEM. Copings manufactured after digital impression with Lava™ C.O.S. show comparable marginal parameters with the copings manufactured after conventional impression with polyvinyl syloxane. The mean MG values of both groups fit in the clinically acceptable range.

Monitoring damage growth in titanium matrix composites using acoustic emission

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bakuckas, J. G., Jr.; Prosser, W. H.; Johnson, W. S.

1993-01-01

The application of the acoustic emission (AE) technique to locate and monitor damage growth in titanium matrix composites (TMC) was investigated. Damage growth was studied using several optical techniques including a long focal length, high magnification microscope system with image acquisition capabilities. Fracture surface examinations were conducted using a scanning electron microscope (SEM). The AE technique was used to locate damage based on the arrival times of AE events between two sensors. Using model specimens exhibiting a dominant failure mechanism, correlations were established between the observed damage growth mechanisms and the AE results in terms of the events amplitude. These correlations were used to monitor the damage growth process in laminates exhibiting multiple modes of damage. Results revealed that the AE technique is a viable and effective tool to monitor damage growth in TMC.

Exploring the interior of cuticles and compressions of fossil plants by FIB-SEM milling and image microscopy.

PubMed

Sender, L M; Escapa, I; Benedetti, A; Cúneo, R; Diez, J B

2018-01-01

We present the first study of cuticles and compressions of fossil leaves by Focused Ion Beam Scanning Electron Microscopy (FIB-SEM). Cavities preserved inside fossil leaf compressions corresponding to substomatal chambers have been observed for the first time and several new features were identified in the cross-section cuts. These results open a new way in the investigation of the three-dimensional structures of both micro- and nanostructural features of fossil plants. Moreover, the application of the FIB-SEM technique to both fossils and extant plant remains represent a new source of taxonomical, palaeoenvironmental and palaeoclimatic information. © 2017 The Authors Journal of Microscopy © 2017 Royal Microscopical Society.

Development of a SEM-based low-energy in-line electron holography microscope for individual particle imaging.

PubMed

Adaniya, Hidehito; Cheung, Martin; Cassidy, Cathal; Yamashita, Masao; Shintake, Tsumoru

2018-05-01

A new SEM-based in-line electron holography microscope has been under development. The microscope utilizes conventional SEM and BF-STEM functionality to allow for rapid searching of the specimen of interest, seamless interchange between SEM, BF-STEM and holographic imaging modes, and makes use of coherent low-energy in-line electron holography to obtain low-dose, high-contrast images of light element materials. We report here an overview of the instrumentation and first experimental results on gold nano-particles and carbon nano-fibers for system performance tests. Reconstructed images obtained from the holographic imaging mode of the new microscope show substantial image contrast and resolution compared to those acquired by SEM and BF-STEM modes, demonstrating the feasibility of high-contrast imaging via low-energy in-line electron holography. The prospect of utilizing the new microscope to image purified biological specimens at the individual particle level is discussed and electron optical issues and challenges to further improve resolution and contrast are considered. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Contour metrology using critical dimension atomic force microscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Orji, Ndubuisi G.; Dixson, Ronald G.; Vladár, András E.; Ming, Bin; Postek, Michael T.

2012-03-01

The critical dimension atomic force microscope (CD-AFM), which is used as a reference instrument in lithography metrology, has been proposed as a complementary instrument for contour measurement and verification. Although data from CD-AFM is inherently three dimensional, the planar two-dimensional data required for contour metrology is not easily extracted from the top-down CD-AFM data. This is largely due to the limitations of the CD-AFM method for controlling the tip position and scanning. We describe scanning techniques and profile extraction methods to obtain contours from CD-AFM data. We also describe how we validated our technique, and explain some of its limitations. Potential sources of error for this approach are described, and a rigorous uncertainty model is presented. Our objective is to show which data acquisition and analysis methods could yield optimum contour information while preserving some of the strengths of CD-AFM metrology. We present comparison of contours extracted using our technique to those obtained from the scanning electron microscope (SEM), and the helium ion microscope (HIM).

Line-width roughness of advanced semiconductor features by using FIB and planar-TEM as reference metrology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Takamasu, Kiyoshi; Takahashi, Satoru; Kawada, Hiroki; Ikota, Masami

2018-03-01

LER (Line Edge Roughness) and LWR (Line Width Roughness) of the semiconductor device are an important evaluation scale of the performance of the device. Conventionally, LER and LWR is evaluated from CD-SEM (Critical Dimension Scanning Electron Microscope) images. However, CD-SEM measurement has a problem that high frequency random noise is large, and resolution is not sufficiently high. For random noise of CD-SEM measurement, some techniques are proposed. In these methods, it is necessary to set parameters for model and processing, and it is necessary to verify the correctness of these parameters using reference metrology. We have already proposed a novel reference metrology using FIB (Focused Ion Beam) process and planar-TEM (Transmission Electron Microscope) method. In this study, we applied the proposed method to three new samples such as SAQP (Self-Aligned Quadruple Patterning) FinFET device, EUV (Extreme Ultraviolet Lithography) conventional resist, and EUV new material resist. LWR and PSD (Power Spectral Density) of LWR are calculated from the edge positions on planar-TEM images. We confirmed that LWR and PSD of LWR can be measured with high accuracy and evaluated the difference by the proposed method. Furthermore, from comparisons with PSD of the same sample by CD-SEM, the validity of measurement of PSD and LWR by CD-SEM can be verified.

Fatigue damage monitoring for basalt fiber reinforced polymer composites using acoustic emission technique

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Wentao; Li, Hui; Qu, Zhi

2012-04-01

Basalt fiber reinforced polymer (BFRP) is a structural material with superior mechanical properties. In this study, unidirectional BFRP laminates with 14 layers are made with the hand lay-up method. Then, the acoustic emission technique (AE) combined with the scanning electronic microscope (SEM) technique is employed to monitor the fatigue damage evolution of the BFRP plates in the fatigue loading tests. Time-frequency analysis using the wavelet transform technique is proposed to analyze the received AE signal instead of the peak frequency method. A comparison between AE signals and SEM images indicates that the multi-frequency peaks picked from the time-frequency curves of AE signals reflect the accumulated fatigue damage evolution and fatigue damage patterns. Furthermore, seven damage patterns, that is, matrix cracking, delamination, fiber fracture and their combinations, are identified from the time-frequency curves of the AE signals.

Signal-to-noise ratio estimation using adaptive tuning on the piecewise cubic Hermite interpolation model for images.

PubMed

Sim, K S; Yeap, Z X; Tso, C P

2016-11-01

An improvement to the existing technique of quantifying signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of scanning electron microscope (SEM) images using piecewise cubic Hermite interpolation (PCHIP) technique is proposed. The new technique uses an adaptive tuning onto the PCHIP, and is thus named as ATPCHIP. To test its accuracy, 70 images are corrupted with noise and their autocorrelation functions are then plotted. The ATPCHIP technique is applied to estimate the uncorrupted noise-free zero offset point from a corrupted image. Three existing methods, the nearest neighborhood, first order interpolation and original PCHIP, are used to compare with the performance of the proposed ATPCHIP method, with respect to their calculated SNR values. Results show that ATPCHIP is an accurate and reliable method to estimate SNR values from SEM images. SCANNING 38:502-514, 2016. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Morphology studies of hydrophobic silica on filter surface prepared via spray technique

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shahfiq Zulkifli, Nazrul; Zaini Yunos, Muhamad; Ahmad, Azlinnorazia; Harun, Zawati; Akhair, Siti Hajar Mohd; Adibah Raja Ahmad, Raja; Hafeez Azhar, Faiz; Rashid, Abdul Qaiyyum Abd; Ismail, Al Emran

2017-08-01

This study investigated the effect of the hydrophobic surface treatment effect of air filter performance by using silica aerogel powder as an additive by using spray coating techniques. The membrane characterization tests were carried out on a filter prepared from different additive concentration. Studies on the cross-section and the distribution of particles on the membrane were carried out using a scanning electron microscope (SEM), and the surface morphology was investigated by x-ray spectroscopy (EDS). The results are shown by SEM and EDS that the microstructure filter, especially in the upper layer and sub-layer has been changed. The results also show an increase of hydrophobicity due to the increased quantity of silica aerogel powder.

Nail Damage (Severe Onychodystrophy) Induced by Acrylate Glue: Scanning Electron Microscopy and Energy Dispersive X-Ray Investigations

PubMed Central

Pinteala, Tudor; Chiriac, Anca Eduard; Rosca, Irina; Larese Filon, Francesca; Pinteala, Mariana; Chiriac, Anca; Podoleanu, Cristian; Stolnicu, Simona; Coros, Marius Florin; Coroaba, Adina

2017-01-01

Background Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) techniques have been used in various fields of medical research, including different pathologies of the nails; however, no studies have focused on obtaining high-resolution microscopic images and elemental analysis of disorders caused by synthetic nails and acrylic adhesives. Methods Damaged/injured fingernails caused by the use of acrylate glue and synthetic nails were investigated using SEM and EDX methods. Results SEM and EDX proved that synthetic nails, acrylic glue, and nails damaged by contact with acrylate glue have a different morphology and different composition compared to healthy human nails. Conclusions SEM and EDX analysis can give useful information about the aspects of topography (surface sample), morphology (shape and size), hardness or reflectivity, and the elemental composition of nails. PMID:28232921

Multi-scale image segmentation and numerical modeling in carbonate rocks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alves, G. C.; Vanorio, T.

2016-12-01

Numerical methods based on computational simulations can be an important tool in estimating physical properties of rocks. These can complement experimental results, especially when time constraints and sample availability are a problem. However, computational models created at different scales can yield conflicting results with respect to the physical laboratory. This problem is exacerbated in carbonate rocks due to their heterogeneity at all scales. We developed a multi-scale approach performing segmentation of the rock images and numerical modeling across several scales, accounting for those heterogeneities. As a first step, we measured the porosity and the elastic properties of a group of carbonate samples with varying micrite content. Then, samples were imaged by Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) as well as optical microscope at different magnifications. We applied three different image segmentation techniques to create numerical models from the SEM images and performed numerical simulations of the elastic wave-equation. Our results show that a multi-scale approach can efficiently account for micro-porosities in tight micrite-supported samples, yielding acoustic velocities comparable to those obtained experimentally. Nevertheless, in high-porosity samples characterized by larger grain/micrite ratio, results show that SEM scale images tend to overestimate velocities, mostly due to their inability to capture macro- and/or intragranular- porosity. This suggests that, for high-porosity carbonate samples, optical microscope images would be more suited for numerical simulations.

Characteristics of different frequency ranges in scanning electron microscope images

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sim, K. S., E-mail: kssim@mmu.edu.my; Nia, M. E.; Tan, T. L.

2015-07-22

We demonstrate a new approach to characterize the frequency range in general scanning electron microscope (SEM) images. First, pure frequency images are generated from low frequency to high frequency, and then, the magnification of each type of frequency image is implemented. By comparing the edge percentage of the SEM image to the self-generated frequency images, we can define the frequency ranges of the SEM images. Characterization of frequency ranges of SEM images benefits further processing and analysis of those SEM images, such as in noise filtering and contrast enhancement.

Three-dimensional characterization of pigment dispersion in dried paint films using focused ion beam-scanning electron microscopy.

PubMed

Lin, Jui-Ching; Heeschen, William; Reffner, John; Hook, John

2012-04-01

The combination of integrated focused ion beam-scanning electron microscope (FIB-SEM) serial sectioning and imaging techniques with image analysis provided quantitative characterization of three-dimensional (3D) pigment dispersion in dried paint films. The focused ion beam in a FIB-SEM dual beam system enables great control in slicing paints, and the sectioning process can be synchronized with SEM imaging providing high quality serial cross-section images for 3D reconstruction. Application of Euclidean distance map and ultimate eroded points image analysis methods can provide quantitative characterization of 3D particle distribution. It is concluded that 3D measurement of binder distribution in paints is effective to characterize the order of pigment dispersion in dried paint films.

Investigation of MeV-Cu implantation and channeling effects into porous silicon formation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ahmad, M.; Naddaf, M.

2011-11-01

P-type (1 1 1) silicon wafers were implanted by copper ions (2.5 MeV) in channeling and random directions using ion beam accelerator of the Atomic Energy Commission of Syria (AECS). The effect of implantation direction on formation process of porous silicon (PS) using electrochemical etching method has been investigated using scanning electron microscope (SEM) and photoluminescence (PL) techniques. SEM observations revealed that the size, shape and density of the formed pores are highly affected by the direction of beam implantation. This in turn is seen to influence the PL behavior of the PS.

Method to deterministically study photonic nanostructures in different experimental instruments.

PubMed

Husken, B H; Woldering, L A; Blum, C; Vos, W L

2009-01-01

We describe an experimental method to recover a single, deterministically fabricated nanostructure in various experimental instruments without the use of artificially fabricated markers, with the aim to study photonic structures. Therefore, a detailed map of the spatial surroundings of the nanostructure is made during the fabrication of the structure. These maps are made using a series of micrographs with successively decreasing magnifications. The graphs reveal intrinsic and characteristic geometric features that can subsequently be used in different setups to act as markers. As an illustration, we probe surface cavities with radii of 65 nm on a silica opal photonic crystal with various setups: a focused ion beam workstation; a scanning electron microscope (SEM); a wide field optical microscope and a confocal microscope. We use cross-correlation techniques to recover a small area imaged with the SEM in a large area photographed with the optical microscope, which provides a possible avenue to automatic searching. We show how both structural and optical reflectivity data can be obtained from one and the same nanostructure. Since our approach does not use artificial grids or markers, it is of particular interest for samples whose structure is not known a priori, like samples created solely by self-assembly. In addition, our method is not restricted to conducting samples.

Three-dimensional microstructural characterization of bulk plutonium and uranium metals using focused ion beam technique

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chung, Brandon W.; Erler, Robert G.; Teslich, Nick E.

2016-05-01

Nuclear forensics requires accurate quantification of discriminating microstructural characteristics of the bulk nuclear material to identify its process history and provenance. Conventional metallographic preparation techniques for bulk plutonium (Pu) and uranium (U) metals are limited to providing information in two-dimension (2D) and do not allow for obtaining depth profile of the material. In this contribution, use of dual-beam focused ion-beam/scanning electron microscopy (FIB-SEM) to investigate the internal microstructure of bulk Pu and U metals is demonstrated. Our results demonstrate that the dual-beam methodology optimally elucidate microstructural features without preparation artifacts, and the three-dimensional (3D) characterization of inner microstructures can reveal salient microstructural features that cannot be observed from conventional metallographic techniques. Examples are shown to demonstrate the benefit of FIB-SEM in improving microstructural characterization of microscopic inclusions, particularly with respect to nuclear forensics.

Three-dimensional microstructural characterization of bulk plutonium and uranium metals using focused ion beam technique

DOE PAGES

Chung, Brandon W.; Erler, Robert G.; Teslich, Nick E.

2016-03-03

Nuclear forensics requires accurate quantification of discriminating microstructural characteristics of the bulk nuclear material to identify its process history and provenance. Conventional metallographic preparation techniques for bulk plutonium (Pu) and uranium (U) metals are limited to providing information in two-dimension (2D) and do not allow for obtaining depth profile of the material. In this contribution, use of dual-beam focused ion-beam/scanning electron microscopy (FIB-SEM) to investigate the internal microstructure of bulk Pu and U metals is demonstrated. Our results demonstrate that the dual-beam methodology optimally elucidate microstructural features without preparation artifacts, and the three-dimensional (3D) characterization of inner microstructures can revealmore » salient microstructural features that cannot be observed from conventional metallographic techniques. As a result, examples are shown to demonstrate the benefit of FIB-SEM in improving microstructural characterization of microscopic inclusions, particularly with respect to nuclear forensics.« less

Scanning electron microscope observation of dislocations in semiconductor and metal materials.

PubMed

Kuwano, Noriyuki; Itakura, Masaru; Nagatomo, Yoshiyuki; Tachibana, Shigeaki

2010-08-01

Scanning electron microscope (SEM) image contrasts have been investigated for dislocations in semiconductor and metal materials. It is revealed that single dislocations can be observed in a high contrast in SEM images formed by backscattered electrons (BSE) under the condition of a normal configuration of SEM. The BSE images of dislocations were compared with those of the transmission electron microscope and scanning transmission electron microscope (STEM) and the dependence of BSE image contrast on the tilting of specimen was examined to discuss the origin of image contrast. From the experimental results, it is concluded that the BSE images of single dislocations are attributed to the diffraction effect and related with high-angle dark-field images of STEM.

Review on Microstructure Analysis of Metals and Alloys Using Image Analysis Techniques

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rekha, Suganthini; Bupesh Raja, V. K.

2017-05-01

The metals and alloys find vast application in engineering and domestic sectors. The mechanical properties of the metals and alloys are influenced by their microstructure. Hence the microstructural investigation is very critical. Traditionally the microstructure is studied using optical microscope with suitable metallurgical preparation. The past few decades the computers are applied in the capture and analysis of the optical micrographs. The advent of computer softwares like digital image processing and computer vision technologies are a boon to the analysis of the microstructure. In this paper the literature study of the various developments in the microstructural analysis, is done. The conventional optical microscope is complemented by the use of Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) and other high end equipments.

New Developments in Cathodoluminescence Spectroscopy for the Study of Luminescent Materials

PubMed Central

den Engelsen, Daniel; Fern, George R.; Harris, Paul G.; Ireland, Terry G.; Silver, Jack

2017-01-01

Herein, we describe three advanced techniques for cathodoluminescence (CL) spectroscopy that have recently been developed in our laboratories. The first is a new method to accurately determine the CL-efficiency of thin layers of phosphor powders. When a wide band phosphor with a band gap (Eg > 5 eV) is bombarded with electrons, charging of the phosphor particles will occur, which eventually leads to erroneous results in the determination of the luminous efficacy. To overcome this problem of charging, a comparison method has been developed, which enables accurate measurement of the current density of the electron beam. The study of CL from phosphor specimens in a scanning electron microscope (SEM) is the second subject to be treated. A detailed description of a measuring method to determine the overall decay time of single phosphor crystals in a SEM without beam blanking is presented. The third technique is based on the unique combination of microscopy and spectrometry in the transmission electron microscope (TEM) of Brunel University London (UK). This combination enables the recording of CL-spectra of nanometre-sized specimens and determining spatial variations in CL emission across individual particles by superimposing the scanning TEM and CL-images. PMID:28772671

DEVELOPMENT OF LiCo0.90Mg0.05Al0.05O2 THIN FILMS BY PULSED LASER DEPOSITION TECHNIQUE

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vasanthi, R.; Ruthmangani, I.; Manoravi, P.; Joseph, M.; Kesavamoorthy, R.; Sundar, C.; Selladurai, S.

LiCo0.90Mg0.05Al0.05O2 bulk powders are synthesized using combustion process and made into a thin film by depositing on silicon wafer using a pulsed laser ablation technique. A comparative study by SEM (Scanning Electron Microscope) XRD (X-ray diffraction), Infrared spectroscopy and Raman Spectroscopy is performed on both bulk and PLD thin films.

Helium Ion Microscope: A New Tool for Sub-nanometer Imaging of Soft Materials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shutthanandan, V.; Arey, B.; Smallwood, C. R.; Evans, J. E.

2017-12-01

High-resolution inspection of surface details is needed in many biological and environmental researches to understand the Soil organic material (SOM)-mineral interactions along with identifying microbial communities and their interactions. SOM shares many imaging characteristics with biological samples and getting true surface details from these materials are challenging since they consist of low atomic number materials. FE-SEM imaging is the main imagining technique used to image these materials in the past. These SEM images often show loss of resolution and increase noise due to beam damage and charging issues. Newly developed Helium Ion Microscope (HIM), on the other hand can overcome these difficulties and give very fine details. HIM is very similar to scanning electron microscopy (SEM) but instead of using electrons as a probe beam, HIM uses helium ions with energy ranges from 5 to 40 keV. HIM offers a series of advantages compared to SEM such as nanometer and sub-nanometer image resolutions (about 0.35 nm), detailed surface topography, high surface sensitivity, low Z material imaging (especially for polymers and biological samples), high image contrast, and large depth of field. In addition, HIM also has the ability to image insulating materials without any conductive coatings so that surface details are not modified. In this presentation, several scientific applications across biology and geochemistry will be presented to highlight the effectiveness of this powerful microscope. Acknowledgements: Research was performed using the Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory (EMSL), a national scientific user facility sponsored by the Department of Energy's Office of Biological and Environmental Research and located at PNNL. Work was supported by DOE-BER Mesoscale to Molecules Bioimaging Project FWP# 66382.

Contribution of a new generation field-emission scanning electron microscope in the understanding of a 2099 Al-Li alloy.

PubMed

Brodusch, Nicolas; Trudeau, Michel; Michaud, Pierre; Rodrigue, Lisa; Boselli, Julien; Gauvin, Raynald

2012-12-01

Aluminum-lithium alloys are widespread in the aerospace industry. The new 2099 and 2199 alloys provide improved properties, but their microstructure and texture are not well known. This article describes how state-of-the-art field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) can contribute to the characterization of the 2099 aluminum-lithium alloy and metallic alloys in general. Investigations were carried out on bulk and thinned samples. Backscattered electron imaging at 3 kV and scanning transmission electron microscope imaging at 30 kV along with highly efficient microanalysis permitted correlation of experimental and expected structures. Although our results confirm previous studies, this work points out possible substitutions of Mg and Zn with Li, Al, and Cu in the T1 precipitates. Zinc and magnesium are also present in "rice grain"-shaped precipitates at the grain boundaries. The versatility of the FE-SEM is highlighted as it provides information in the macro- and microscales with relevant details. Its ability to probe the distribution of precipitates from nano- to microsizes throughout the matrix makes FE-SEM an essential technique for the characterization of metallic alloys.

EBSD and TEM characterization of high burn-up mixed oxide fuel

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Teague, Melissa; Gorman, Brian; Miller, Brandon; King, Jeffrey

2014-01-01

Understanding and studying the irradiation behavior of high burn-up oxide fuel is critical to licensing of future fast breeder reactors. Advancements in experimental techniques and equipment are allowing for new insights into previously irradiated samples. In this work dual column focused ion beam (FIB)/scanning electron microscope (SEM) was utilized to prepared transmission electron microscope samples from mixed oxide fuel with a burn-up of 6.7% FIMA. Utilizing the FIB/SEM for preparation resulted in samples with a dose rate of <0.5 mRem/h compared to ∼1.1 R/h for a traditionally prepared TEM sample. The TEM analysis showed that the sample taken from the cooler rim region of the fuel pellet had ∼2.5× higher dislocation density than that of the sample taken from the mid-radius due to the lower irradiation temperature of the rim. The dual column FIB/SEM was additionally used to prepared and serially slice ∼25 μm cubes. High quality electron back scatter diffraction (EBSD) were collected from the face at each step, showing, for the first time, the ability to obtain EBSD data from high activity irradiated fuel.

EBSD and TEM Characterization of High Burn-up Mixed Oxide Fuel

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Teague, Melissa C.; Gorman, Brian P.; Miller, Brandon D.

2014-01-01

Understanding and studying the irradiation behavior of high burn-up oxide fuel is critical to licensing of future fast breeder reactors. Advancements in experimental techniques and equipment are allowing for new insights into previously irradiated samples. In this work dual column focused ion beam (FIB)/scanning electron microscope (SEM) was utilized to prepared transmission electron microscope samples from mixed oxide fuel with a burn-up of 6.7% FIMA. Utilizing the FIB/SEM for preparation resulted in samples with a dose rate of <0.5 mRem/h compared to approximately 1.1 R/h for a traditionally prepared TEM sample. The TEM analysis showed that the sample taken frommore » the cooler rim region of the fuel pellet had approximately 2.5x higher dislocation density than that of the sample taken from the mid-radius due to the lower irradiation temperature of the rim. The dual column FIB/SEM was additionally used to prepared and serially slice approximately 25 um cubes. High quality electron back scatter diffraction (EBSD) were collected from the face at each step, showing, for the first time, the ability to obtain EBSD data from high activity irradiated fuel.« less

Correlative tomography at the cathode/electrolyte interfaces of solid oxide fuel cells

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wankmüller, Florian; Szász, Julian; Joos, Jochen; Wilde, Virginia; Störmer, Heike; Gerthsen, Dagmar; Ivers-Tiffée, Ellen

2017-08-01

This paper introduces a correlative tomography technique. It visualizes the spatial organization of primary and secondary phases at the interface of La0.58Sr0.4Co0.2Fe0.8O3-δ cathode/10 mol% Gadolinia doped Ceria/8 mol% Yttria stabilized Zirconia electrolyte. It uses focused ion beam/scanning electron microscope tomography (FIB/SEM), and combines data sets from Everhart-Thornley and Inlens detector differentiating four primary and two secondary material phases. In addition, grayscale information is correlated to elemental distribution gained by energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy in a scanning transmission electron microscope. Interdiffusion of GDC into YSZ and SrZrO3 as secondary phases depend (in both amount and spatial organization) on the varied co-sintering temperature of the GDC/YSZ electrolyte. The ion-blocking SrZrO3 forms a continuous layer on top of the temperature-dependent GDC/YSZ interdiffusion zone (ID) at and below a co-sintering temperature of 1200 °C; above it becomes intermittent. 2D FIB/SEM images of primary and secondary phases at 1100, 1200, 1300 and 1400 °C were combined with a 3D FIB/SEM reconstruction (1300 °C). This reveals that ;preferred; oxygen ion transport pathways from the LSCF cathode through GDC and the ID into the YSZ electrolyte only exist in samples sintered above 1200 °C. The applied correlative technique expands our understanding of this multiphase cathode/electrolyte interface region.

Use of fluorescence and scanning electron microscopy as tools in teaching biology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ghosh, Nabarun; Silva, Jessica; Vazquez, Aracely; Das, A. B.; Smith, Don W.

2011-06-01

Recent nationwide surveys reveal significant decline in students' interest in Math and Sciences. The objective of this project was to inspire young minds in using various techniques involved in Sciences including Scanning Electron Microscopy. We used Scanning Electron Microscope in demonstrating various types of Biological samples. An SEM Tabletop model in the past decade has revolutionized the use of Scanning Electron Microscopes. Using SEM Tabletop model TM 1000 we studied biological specimens of fungal spores, pollen grains, diatoms, plant fibers, dust mites, insect parts and leaf surfaces. We also used fluorescence microscopy to view, to record and analyze various specimens with an Olympus BX40 microscope equipped with FITC and TRITC fluorescent filters, a mercury lamp source, DP-70 digital camera with Image Pro 6.0 software. Micrographs were captured using bright field microscopy, the fluoresceinisothiocyanate (FITC) filter, and the tetramethylrhodamine (TRITC) filter settings at 40X. A high pressure mercury lamp or UV source was used to excite the storage molecules or proteins which exhibited autofluorescence. We used fluorescent microscopy to confirm the localization of sugar beet viruses in plant organs by viewing the vascular bundles in the thin sections of the leaves and other tissues. We worked with the REU summer students on sample preparation and observation on various samples utilizing the SEM. Critical Point Drying (CPD) and metal coating with the sputter coater was followed before observing some cultured specimen and the samples that were soft in textures with high water content. SEM Top allowed investigating the detailed morphological features that can be used for classroom teaching. Undergraduate and graduate researchers studied biological samples of Arthropods, pollen grains and teeth collected from four species of snakes using SEM. This project inspired the research students to pursue their career in higher studies in science and 45% of the undergraduates participated in this project entered Graduate school.

3D imaging of cells and tissues by focused ion beam/scanning electron microscopy (FIB/SEM).

PubMed

Drobne, Damjana

2013-01-01

Integration of a scanning electron microscope (SEM) and focused ion beam (FIB) technology into a single FIB/SEM system permits use of the FIB as a nano-scalpel to reveal site-specific subsurface microstructures which can be examined in great detail by SEM. The FIB/SEM technology is widely used in the semiconductor industry and material sciences, and recently its use in the life sciences has been initiated. Samples for FIB/SEM investigation can be either embedded in a plastic matrix, the traditional means of preparation of transmission electron microscopy (TEM) specimens, or simply dried as in samples prepared for SEM imaging. Currently, FIB/SEM is used in the life sciences for (a) preparation by the lift-out technique of lamella for TEM analysis, (b) tomography of samples embedded in a matrix, and (c) in situ site-specific FIB milling and SEM imaging using a wide range of magnifications. Site-specific milling and imaging has attracted wide interest as a technique in structural research of single eukaryotic and prokaryotic cells, small animals, and different animal tissue, but it still remains to be explored more thoroughly. In the past, preparation of samples for site-specific milling and imaging by FIB/SEM has typically adopted the embedding techniques used for TEM samples, and which have been very well described in the literature. Sample preparation protocols for the use of dried samples in FIB/SEM have been less well investigated. The aim of this chapter is to encourage application of FIB/SEM on dried biological samples. A detailed description of conventional dried sample preparation and FIB/SEM investigation of dried biological samples is presented. The important steps are described and illustrated, and direct comparison between embedded and dried samples of same tissues is provided. The ability to discover links between gross morphology of the tissue or organ, surface characteristics of any selected region, and intracellular structural details on the nanometer scale is an appealing application of electron microscopy in the life sciences and merits further exploration.

Analysis of FIB-induced damage by electron channelling contrast imaging in the SEM.

PubMed

Gutierrez-Urrutia, Ivan

2017-01-01

We have investigated the Ga + ion-damage effect induced by focused ion beam (FIB) milling in a [001] single crystal of a 316 L stainless steel by the electron channelling contrast imaging (ECCI) technique. The influence of FIB milling on the characteristic electron channelling contrast of surface dislocations was analysed. The ECCI approach provides sound estimation of the damage depth produced by FIB milling. For comparison purposes, we have also studied the same milled surface by a conventional electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) approach. We observe that the ECCI approach provides further insight into the Ga + ion-damage phenomenon than the EBSD technique by direct imaging of FIB artefacts in the scanning electron microscope. We envisage that the ECCI technique may be a convenient tool to optimize the FIB milling settings in applications where the surface crystal defect content is relevant. © 2016 The Authors Journal of Microscopy © 2016 Royal Microscopical Society.

Optical method for high magnification imaging and video recording of live cells at sub-micron resolution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Romo, Jaime E., Jr.

Optical microscopy, the most common technique for viewing living microorganisms, is limited in resolution by Abbe's criterion. Recent microscopy techniques focus on circumnavigating the light diffraction limit by using different methods to obtain the topography of the sample. Systems like the AFM and SEM provide images with fields of view in the nanometer range with high resolvable detail, however these techniques are expensive, and limited in their ability to document live cells. The Dino-Lite digital microscope coupled with the Zeiss Axiovert 25 CFL microscope delivers a cost-effective method for recording live cells. Fields of view ranging from 8 microns to 300 microns with fair resolution provide a reliable method for discovering native cell structures at the nanoscale. In this report, cultured HeLa cells are recorded using different optical configurations resulting in documentation of cell dynamics at high magnification and resolution.

Comparing the detection of iron-based pottery pigment on a carbon-coated sherd by SEM-EDS and by Micro-XRF-SEM.

PubMed

Pendleton, Michael W; Washburn, Dorothy K; Ellis, E Ann; Pendleton, Bonnie B

2014-03-01

The same sherd was analyzed using a scanning electron microscope with energy dispersive spectroscopy (SEM-EDS) and a micro X-ray fluorescence tube attached to a scanning electron microscope (Micro-XRF-SEM) to compare the effectiveness of elemental detection of iron-based pigment. To enhance SEM-EDS mapping, the sherd was carbon coated. The carbon coating was not required to produce Micro-XRF-SEM maps but was applied to maintain an unbiased comparison between the systems. The Micro-XRF-SEM analysis was capable of lower limits of detection than that of the SEM-EDS system, and therefore the Micro-XRF-SEM system could produce elemental maps of elements not easily detected by SEM-EDS mapping systems. Because SEM-EDS and Micro-XRF-SEM have been used for imaging and chemical analysis of biological samples, this comparison of the detection systems should be useful to biologists, especially those involved in bone or tooth (hard tissue) analysis.

Comparing the Detection of Iron-Based Pottery Pigment on a Carbon-Coated Sherd by SEM-EDS and by Micro-XRF-SEM

PubMed Central

Pendleton, Michael W.; Washburn, Dorothy K.; Ellis, E. Ann; Pendleton, Bonnie B.

2014-01-01

The same sherd was analyzed using a scanning electron microscope with energy dispersive spectroscopy (SEM-EDS) and a micro X-ray fluorescence tube attached to a scanning electron microscope (Micro-XRF-SEM) to compare the effectiveness of elemental detection of iron-based pigment. To enhance SEM-EDS mapping, the sherd was carbon coated. The carbon coating was not required to produce Micro-XRF-SEM maps but was applied to maintain an unbiased comparison between the systems. The Micro-XRF-SEM analysis was capable of lower limits of detection than that of the SEM-EDS system, and therefore the Micro-XRF-SEM system could produce elemental maps of elements not easily detected by SEM-EDS mapping systems. Because SEM-EDS and Micro-XRF-SEM have been used for imaging and chemical analysis of biological samples, this comparison of the detection systems should be useful to biologists, especially those involved in bone or tooth (hard tissue) analysis. PMID:24600333

PHOTOMICROPHOTOGRAPHY- GEOLOGY ( SEM)

NASA Image and Video Library

1972-10-13

PHOTOMICROPHOTOGRAPHY -GEOLOGY (SEM) High magnification and resolution views of lunar, meteorite and terrestrial materials using the Scanning Electron MIcroscope (SEM), Bldg. 31 Planetary and Earth Science Laboratory.

Influence of gamma irradiation on polymerization of pyrrole and glucose oxidase immobilization onto poly (pyrrole)/poly (vinyl alcohol) matrix

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Idris, Sarada; A. Bakar, Ahmad Ashrif; Thevy Ratnam, Chantara; Kamaruddin, Nur Hasiba; Shaari, Sahbudin

2017-04-01

This paper describes the immobilization of glucose oxidase, GOx onto polymer matrix comprising of poly(pyrrole), PPy and poly(vinyl alcohol), PVA using gamma irradiation technique. Py/PVA-GOx film was prepared by spreading PVA:GOx, 1:1 solution onto dried pyrrole film and exposed to gamma irradiation from cobalt 60 source at doses ranging from 0 to 60 kGy. The films were subjected to structural and morphological analyses by using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Scanning electron microscope (SEM), Field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM) and Atomic-force microscopy (AFM) techniques. Similar studies were also made on pristine pyrrole film which served as control. The SEM and FTIR spectra of Py/PVA-GOx film revealed that pyrrole has been successfully polymerized through irradiation-induced reactions. The results on the morphological properties of the samples characterize using FESEM, SEM and AFM further confirmed the occurrence of radiation-induced modification of Py/PVA-GOx film. The FTIR spectra showed the existence of intermolecular interaction between polymer matrix and GOx indicating that GOx had been successfully immobilized onto Ppy/PVA matrix by radiation-induced reactions. Results revealed that radiation induced reactions such as polymerization of pyrrole, crosslinking of PVA, grafting between the adjacent PVA and pyrrole molecules as well as immobilization of GOx onto Ppy/PVA matrix occurred simultaneously upon gamma irradiation. The optimum dose for GOx immobilization in the polymer matrix found to be 40 kGy. Therefore it is clear that this irradiation technique offered a simple single process to produce Py/PVA-GOx film without additional crosslinking and polymerization agents.

Morphology of the adult male and pupal exuviae of Glyptotendipes (Glyptotendipes) glaucus (Meigen 1818) (Diptera, Chironomidae) using scanning electron microscope (SEM).

PubMed

Kownacki, Andrzej; Woznicka, Olga; Szarek-Gwiazda, Ewa; Michailova, Paraskeva; Czaplicka, Anna

2017-02-27

In this paper, a study of the morphology of the pupa and male imago of Glyptotendipes (G.) glaucus (Meigen 1818) was carried out, with the aid of a scanning electron microscope (SEM). The SEM provided additional valuable information on the morphology of the species. Adult male head, antenna, wing, leg, abdomen, hypopygium, pupal cephalothorax and abdomen were examined. It is emphasized that SEM was not often used in Chironomidae studies. The present results confirm SEM as a suitable approach in carrying out morphological and taxonomical descriptions of Chironomidae species.

Amid the possible causes of a very famous foxing: molecular and microscopic insight into Leonardo da Vinci's self-portrait.

PubMed

Piñar, Guadalupe; Tafer, Hakim; Sterflinger, Katja; Pinzari, Flavia

2015-12-01

Leonardo da Vinci's self-portrait is affected by foxing spots. The portrait has no fungal or bacterial infections in place, but is contaminated with airborne spores and fungal material that could play a role in its disfigurement. The knowledge of the nature of the stains is of great concern because future conservation treatments should be derived from scientific investigations. The lack of reliable scientific data, due to the non-culturability of the microorganisms inhabiting the portrait, prompted the investigation of the drawing using non-invasive and micro-invasive sampling, in combination with scanning electron microscope (SEM) imaging and molecular techniques. The fungus Eurotium halophilicum was found in foxing spots using SEM analyses. Oxalates of fungal origin were also documented. Both findings are consistent with the hypothesis that tonophilic fungi germinate on paper metabolizing organic acids, oligosaccharides and proteic compounds, which react chemically with the material at a low water activity, forming brown products and oxidative reactions resulting in foxing spots. Additionally, molecular techniques enabled a screening of the fungi inhabiting the portrait and showed differences when different sampling techniques were employed. Swabs samples showed a high abundance of lichenized Ascomycota, while the membrane filters showed a dominance of Acremonium sp. colonizing the drawing. © 2015 The Authors. Environmental Microbiology Reports published by Society for Applied Microbiology and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Neural Network for Nanoscience Scanning Electron Microscope Image Recognition.

PubMed

Modarres, Mohammad Hadi; Aversa, Rossella; Cozzini, Stefano; Ciancio, Regina; Leto, Angelo; Brandino, Giuseppe Piero

2017-10-16

In this paper we applied transfer learning techniques for image recognition, automatic categorization, and labeling of nanoscience images obtained by scanning electron microscope (SEM). Roughly 20,000 SEM images were manually classified into 10 categories to form a labeled training set, which can be used as a reference set for future applications of deep learning enhanced algorithms in the nanoscience domain. The categories chosen spanned the range of 0-Dimensional (0D) objects such as particles, 1D nanowires and fibres, 2D films and coated surfaces, and 3D patterned surfaces such as pillars. The training set was used to retrain on the SEM dataset and to compare many convolutional neural network models (Inception-v3, Inception-v4, ResNet). We obtained compatible results by performing a feature extraction of the different models on the same dataset. We performed additional analysis of the classifier on a second test set to further investigate the results both on particular cases and from a statistical point of view. Our algorithm was able to successfully classify around 90% of a test dataset consisting of SEM images, while reduced accuracy was found in the case of images at the boundary between two categories or containing elements of multiple categories. In these cases, the image classification did not identify a predominant category with a high score. We used the statistical outcomes from testing to deploy a semi-automatic workflow able to classify and label images generated by the SEM. Finally, a separate training was performed to determine the volume fraction of coherently aligned nanowires in SEM images. The results were compared with what was obtained using the Local Gradient Orientation method. This example demonstrates the versatility and the potential of transfer learning to address specific tasks of interest in nanoscience applications.

Fermi level pinning characterisation on ammonium fluoride-treated surfaces of silicon by energy-filtered doping contrast in the scanning electron microscope

PubMed Central

Chee, Augustus K. W.

2016-01-01

Two-dimensional dopant profiling using the secondary electron (SE) signal in the scanning electron microscope (SEM) is a technique gaining impulse for its ability to enable rapid and contactless low-cost diagnostics for integrated device manufacturing. The basis is doping contrast from electrical p-n junctions, which can be influenced by wet-chemical processing methods typically adopted in ULSI technology. This paper describes the results of doping contrast studies by energy-filtering in the SEM from silicon p-n junction specimens that were etched in ammonium fluoride solution. Experimental SE micro-spectroscopy and numerical simulations indicate that Fermi level pinning occurred on the surface of the treated-specimen, and that the doping contrast can be explained in terms of the ionisation energy integral for SEs, which is a function of the dopant concentration, and surface band-bending effects that prevail in the mechanism for doping contrast as patch fields from the specimen are suppressed. PMID:27576347

CHARACTERISTICS OF INDIVIDUAL PARTICLES AT A RURAL SITE IN THE EASTERN UNITED STATES

EPA Science Inventory

To determine the nature of aerosol particles in a rural area of the eastern United States, aerosol samples were collected at Deep Creek Lake, Maryland, on various substrates and analyzed by a scanning electron microscope (SEM) and a transmission electron microscope (TEM). SEM ana...

SERS substrate based on silver nanoparticles and graphene: Dependence on the layer number of graphene

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Garg, Preeti; Soni, R. K.; Raman, R.

2018-05-01

In this report, we describe a low-cost fabrication process for highly sensitive SERS substrate by using thermal evaporation technique. The SERS substrate structure consists of silver nanoparticles deposited on monolayer, bilayer and few layer graphene. The fabricated SERS substrates are investigated by field emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM), atomic force microscope (AFM), and confocal Raman spectroscope. From the surface morphology we have verified that the fabricated SERS substrate consist of high-density of silver nanoparticles with their size distribution varies from 10 to 150 nm. The surface-enhanced Raman scattering activities of these nanostructures is highest for monolayer graphene.

Development of scanning electron and x-ray microscope

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Matsumura, Tomokazu, E-mail: tomokzau.matsumura@etd.hpk.co.jp; Hirano, Tomohiko, E-mail: tomohiko.hirano@etd.hpk.co.jp; Suyama, Motohiro, E-mail: suyama@etd.hpk.co.jp

We have developed a new type of microscope possessing a unique feature of observing both scanning electron and X-ray images under one unit. Unlike former X-ray microscopes using SEM [1, 2], this scanning electron and X-ray (SELX) microscope has a sample in vacuum, thus it enables one to observe a surface structure of a sample by SEM mode, to search the region of interest, and to observe an X-ray image which transmits the region. For the X-ray observation, we have been focusing on the soft X-ray region from 280 eV to 3 keV to observe some bio samples and softmore » materials. The resolutions of SEM and X-ray modes are 50 nm and 100 nm, respectively, at the electron energy of 7 keV.« less

A multimodal microcharacterisation of trace-element zonation and crystallographic orientation in natural cassiterite by combining cathodoluminescence, EBSD, EPMA and contribution of confocal Raman-in-SEM imaging.

PubMed

Wille, G; Lerouge, C; Schmidt, U

2018-01-16

In cassiterite, tin is associated with metals (titanium, niobium, tantalum, indium, tungsten, iron, manganese, mercury). Knowledge of mineral chemistry and trace-element distribution is essential for: the understanding of ore formation, the exploration phase, the feasibility of ore treatment, and disposal/treatment of tailings after the exploitation phase. However, the availability of analytical methods make these characterisations difficult. We present a multitechnical approach to chemical and structural data that includes scanning electron microscopy (SEM)-based imaging and microanalysis techniques such as: secondary and backscattered electrons, cathodoluminescence (CL), electron probe microanalyser (EPMA), electron backscattered diffraction (EBSD) and confocal Raman-imaging integrated in a SEM (RISE). The presented results show the complementarity of the used analytical techniques. SEM, CL, EBSD, EPMA provide information from the interaction of an electron beam with minerals, leading to atomistic information about their composition, whereas RISE, Raman spectroscopy and imaging completes the studies with information about molecular vibrations, which are sensitive to structural modifications of the minerals. The correlation of Raman bands with the presence/absence of Nb, Ta, Fe (heterovalent substitution) and Ti (homovalent substitution) is established at a submicrometric scale. Combination of the different techniques makes it possible to establish a direct link between chemical and crystallographic data of cassiterite. © 2018 The Authors Journal of Microscopy © 2018 Royal Microscopical Society.

Three-dimensional mapping of soil chemical characteristics at micrometric scale: Statistical prediction by combining 2D SEM-EDX data and 3D X-ray computed micro-tomographic images

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hapca, Simona

2015-04-01

Many soil properties and functions emerge from interactions of physical, chemical and biological processes at microscopic scales, which can be understood only by integrating techniques that traditionally are developed within separate disciplines. While recent advances in imaging techniques, such as X-ray computed tomography (X-ray CT), offer the possibility to reconstruct the 3D physical structure at fine resolutions, for the distribution of chemicals in soil, existing methods, based on scanning electron microscope (SEM) and energy dispersive X-ray detection (EDX), allow for characterization of the chemical composition only on 2D surfaces. At present, direct 3D measurement techniques are still lacking, sequential sectioning of soils, followed by 2D mapping of chemical elements and interpolation to 3D, being an alternative which is explored in this study. Specifically, we develop an integrated experimental and theoretical framework which combines 3D X-ray CT imaging technique with 2D SEM-EDX and use spatial statistics methods to map the chemical composition of soil in 3D. The procedure involves three stages 1) scanning a resin impregnated soil cube by X-ray CT, followed by precision cutting to produce parallel thin slices, the surfaces of which are scanned by SEM-EDX, 2) alignment of the 2D chemical maps within the internal 3D structure of the soil cube, and 3) development, of spatial statistics methods to predict the chemical composition of 3D soil based on the observed 2D chemical and 3D physical data. Specifically, three statistical models consisting of a regression tree, a regression tree kriging and cokriging model were used to predict the 3D spatial distribution of carbon, silicon, iron and oxygen in soil, these chemical elements showing a good spatial agreement between the X-ray grayscale intensities and the corresponding 2D SEM-EDX data. Due to the spatial correlation between the physical and chemical data, the regression-tree model showed a great potential in predicting chemical composition in particular for iron, which is generally sparsely distributed in soil. For carbon, silicon and oxygen, which are more densely distributed, the additional kriging of the regression tree residuals improved significantly the prediction, whereas prediction based on co-kriging was less consistent across replicates, underperforming regression-tree kriging. The present study shows a great potential in integrating geo-statistical methods with imaging techniques to unveil the 3D chemical structure of soil at very fine scales, the framework being suitable to be further applied to other types of imaging data such as images of biological thin sections for characterization of microbial distribution. Key words: X-ray CT, SEM-EDX, segmentation techniques, spatial correlation, 3D soil images, 2D chemical maps.

Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) Procedure for HE Powders on a Zeiss Sigma HD VP SEM

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zaka, F.

This method describes the characterization of inert and HE materials by the Zeiss Sigma HD VP field emission Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM). The SEM uses an accelerated electron beam to generate high-magnification images of explosives and other materials. It is fitted with five detectors (SE, Inlens, STEM, VPSE, HDBSD) to enable imaging of the sample via different secondary electron signatures, angles, and energies. In addition to imaging through electron detection, the microscope is also fitted with two Oxford Instrument Energy Dispersive Spectrometer (EDS) 80 mm detectors to generate elemental constituent spectra and two-dimensional maps of the material being scanned.

3DSEM++: Adaptive and intelligent 3D SEM surface reconstruction.

PubMed

Tafti, Ahmad P; Holz, Jessica D; Baghaie, Ahmadreza; Owen, Heather A; He, Max M; Yu, Zeyun

2016-08-01

Structural analysis of microscopic objects is a longstanding topic in several scientific disciplines, such as biological, mechanical, and materials sciences. The scanning electron microscope (SEM), as a promising imaging equipment has been around for decades to determine the surface properties (e.g., compositions or geometries) of specimens by achieving increased magnification, contrast, and resolution greater than one nanometer. Whereas SEM micrographs still remain two-dimensional (2D), many research and educational questions truly require knowledge and facts about their three-dimensional (3D) structures. 3D surface reconstruction from SEM images leads to remarkable understanding of microscopic surfaces, allowing informative and qualitative visualization of the samples being investigated. In this contribution, we integrate several computational technologies including machine learning, contrario methodology, and epipolar geometry to design and develop a novel and efficient method called 3DSEM++ for multi-view 3D SEM surface reconstruction in an adaptive and intelligent fashion. The experiments which have been performed on real and synthetic data assert the approach is able to reach a significant precision to both SEM extrinsic calibration and its 3D surface modeling. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Recent advances in 3D SEM surface reconstruction.

PubMed

Tafti, Ahmad P; Kirkpatrick, Andrew B; Alavi, Zahrasadat; Owen, Heather A; Yu, Zeyun

2015-11-01

The scanning electron microscope (SEM), as one of the most commonly used instruments in biology and material sciences, employs electrons instead of light to determine the surface properties of specimens. However, the SEM micrographs still remain 2D images. To effectively measure and visualize the surface attributes, we need to restore the 3D shape model from the SEM images. 3D surface reconstruction is a longstanding topic in microscopy vision as it offers quantitative and visual information for a variety of applications consisting medicine, pharmacology, chemistry, and mechanics. In this paper, we attempt to explain the expanding body of the work in this area, including a discussion of recent techniques and algorithms. With the present work, we also enhance the reliability, accuracy, and speed of 3D SEM surface reconstruction by designing and developing an optimized multi-view framework. We then consider several real-world experiments as well as synthetic data to examine the qualitative and quantitative attributes of our proposed framework. Furthermore, we present a taxonomy of 3D SEM surface reconstruction approaches and address several challenging issues as part of our future work. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Investigation of tin oxide nanofibers synthesized via bio-template technique

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kundu, Virender Singh, E-mail: vskundu-kuk@rediffmail.com; Dhiman, Jonny; Kumar, Suresh

In the present paper tin oxide nanofibers have been by synthesized using cotton as bio-template via sol-gel route. This is comparatively a new synthesis technique. The structure and morphology of the obtained SnO{sub 2} nanofibers were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX). The optical properties of the same have been studied by using UV-Vis spectroscopy. The observed XRD pattern showed that peaks are very narrow and sharp which indicates crystalline nature of samples. SEM images gave an idea about the sample morphology and confirm that the obtained sample were nanofibers. The optical absorbancemore » spectrum of the sample under study was recorded in UV-visible region (200nm- 800nm). The band gap of the sample was found to be 3.95 eV which is higher than their bulk counterpart.« less

Distinguishing shocked from tectonically deformed quartz by the use of the SEM and chemical etching

USGS Publications Warehouse

Gratz, A.J.; Fisler, D.K.; Bohor, B.F.

1996-01-01

Multiple sets of crystallographically-oriented planar deformation features (PDFs) are generated by high-strain-rate shock waves at pressures of > 12 GPa in naturally shocked quartz samples. On surfaces, PDFs appear as narrow (50-500 nm) lamellae filled with amorphosed quartz (diaplectic glass) which can be etched with hydrofluoric acid or with hydrothermal alkaline solutions. In contrast, slow-strain-rate tectonic deformation pressure produces wider, semi-linear and widely spaced arrays of dislocation loops that are not glass filled. Etching samples with HF before examination in a scanning electron microscope (SEM) allows for unambiguous visual distinction between glass-filled PDFs and glass-free tectonic deformation arrays in quartz. This etching also reveals the internal 'pillaring' often characteristic of shock-induced PDFs. This technique is useful for easily distinguishing between shock and tectonic deformation in quartz, but does not replace optical techniques for characterizing the shock features.

Enhancement in surface area and magnetization of CoFe2O4 nanoparticles for targeted drug delivery application

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kale, Swati B.; Somvanshi, Sandeep B.; Sarnaik, M. N.; More, S. D.; Shukla, S. J.; Jadhav, K. M.

2018-05-01

This paper reports facile synthesis, characterizations by X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy and magnetic behaviour of cobalt ferrite nanoparticles. Cobalt ferrite nanoparticles were prepared by sol-gel auto combustion technique using glycine as a fuel. Phase purity and nanocrystalline nature of the prepared sample was confirmed through X-ray diffraction technique. No extra peak other than cubic spinel structure was observed in the XRD pattern. The crystallite size calculated by using Scherrer's formula is of the order of 21.6 nm indicating the nanocrystalline nature of the prepared cobalt ferrite sample. The surface morphological studies were carried out using scanning electron microscope (SEM). SEM image shows homogeneous, agglomerated particles with sponge-like form. The saturation magnetization, coercivity and remenance magnetization obtained by hysteresis curve clearly gives the evidence of excellent and enhanced magnetic behaviour.

Photogrammetry of the three-dimensional shape and texture of a nanoscale particle using scanning electron microscopy and free software.

PubMed

Gontard, Lionel C; Schierholz, Roland; Yu, Shicheng; Cintas, Jesús; Dunin-Borkowski, Rafal E

2016-10-01

We apply photogrammetry in a scanning electron microscope (SEM) to study the three-dimensional shape and surface texture of a nanoscale LiTi2(PO4)3 particle. We highlight the fact that the technique can be applied non-invasively in any SEM using free software (freeware) and does not require special sample preparation. Three-dimensional information is obtained in the form of a surface mesh, with the texture of the sample stored as a separate two-dimensional image (referred to as a UV Map). The mesh can be used to measure parameters such as surface area, volume, moment of inertia and center of mass, while the UV map can be used to study the surface texture using conventional image processing techniques. We also illustrate the use of 3D printing to visualize the reconstructed model. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The preparation of nanosized polyethylene particles via novel heterogeneous non-metallocene catalyst (m-CH3PhO)TiCl3/CNTs/AlEt3

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, J.; Guo, J. P.; Yi, J. J.; Huang, Q. G.; Li, H. M.; Li, Y. F.; Gao, K. J.; Yang, W. T.

2014-08-01

This paper reports the preparation of coral-shaped topological morphology nascent polyethylene (PE) particles promoted by the novel heterogeneous non-metallocene catalyst (m-CH3PhO)TiCl3/carbon nanotubes (CNTs), with AlEt3 used as a cocatalyst. Scanning electron microscope (SEM), high resolution transmission electron microscope (HR-TEM) and inductively coupled plasma (ICP) emission spectroscopy were used to determine the morphology of the catalyst particles and the content of (m-CH3PhO)TiCl3. The carbon nanotube surface was treated with Grignard Reagent prior to reacting with (m-CH3PhO)TiCl3. The catalyst system could effectively catalyze ethylene polymerization and ethylene with 1- hexene copolymerization, the catalytic activity could reach up to 5.8 kg/((gTi)h). Morphology of the obtained polymer particles by SEM and HR-TEM technique revealed that the nascent polyethylene particles looked like coral shape in micro-size. The multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) supported catalysts polymerized ethylene to form polymer nanocomposite in situ. The microscopic examination of this nanocomposite revealed that carbon nanoparticles in PE matrix had a good distribution and the cryogenically fractured surface was ductile-like when polymerization time was 2 min.

Characterizing the surface roughness of thermomechanical pulp fibers with atomic force microscopy

Treesearch

Rebecca Snell; Leslie H. Groom; Timothy G. Rials

2001-01-01

Loblolly pine, separated into mature and juvenile portions, was refined at various pressures (4, 8 and 12 bar). Fiber surfaces were investigated using a Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) and an Atomic Force Microscope (AFM). Refiner pressure had a significant effect on the fiber surefaces. SEM images showed an apparent increase in surface roughness with increased...

A brief discussion about image quality and SEM methods for quantitative fractography of polymer composites.

PubMed

Hein, L R O; Campos, K A; Caltabiano, P C R O; Kostov, K G

2013-01-01

The methodology for fracture analysis of polymeric composites with scanning electron microscopes (SEM) is still under discussion. Many authors prefer to use sputter coating with a conductive material instead of applying low-voltage (LV) or variable-pressure (VP) methods, which preserves the original surfaces. The present work examines the effects of sputter coating with 25 nm of gold on the topography of carbon-epoxy composites fracture surfaces, using an atomic force microscope. Also, the influence of SEM imaging parameters on fractal measurements is evaluated for the VP-SEM and LV-SEM methods. It was observed that topographic measurements were not significantly affected by the gold coating at tested scale. Moreover, changes on SEM setup leads to nonlinear outcome on texture parameters, such as fractal dimension and entropy values. For VP-SEM or LV-SEM, fractal dimension and entropy values did not present any evident relation with image quality parameters, but the resolution must be optimized with imaging setup, accompanied by charge neutralization. © Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

SD-SEM: sparse-dense correspondence for 3D reconstruction of microscopic samples.

PubMed

Baghaie, Ahmadreza; Tafti, Ahmad P; Owen, Heather A; D'Souza, Roshan M; Yu, Zeyun

2017-06-01

Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) imaging has been a principal component of many studies in biomedical, mechanical, and materials sciences since its emergence. Despite the high resolution of captured images, they remain two-dimensional (2D). In this work, a novel framework using sparse-dense correspondence is introduced and investigated for 3D reconstruction of stereo SEM images. SEM micrographs from microscopic samples are captured by tilting the specimen stage by a known angle. The pair of SEM micrographs is then rectified using sparse scale invariant feature transform (SIFT) features/descriptors and a contrario RANSAC for matching outlier removal to ensure a gross horizontal displacement between corresponding points. This is followed by dense correspondence estimation using dense SIFT descriptors and employing a factor graph representation of the energy minimization functional and loopy belief propagation (LBP) as means of optimization. Given the pixel-by-pixel correspondence and the tilt angle of the specimen stage during the acquisition of micrographs, depth can be recovered. Extensive tests reveal the strength of the proposed method for high-quality reconstruction of microscopic samples. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Interpretation of scanning electron microscope measurements of minority carrier diffusion lengths in semiconductors

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Flat, A.; Milnes, A. G.

1978-01-01

In scanning electron microscope (SEM) injection measurements of minority carrier diffusion lengths some uncertainties of interpretation exist when the response current is nonlinear with distance. This is significant in epitaxial layers where the layer thickness is not large in relation to the diffusion length, and where there are large surface recombination velocities on the incident and contact surfaces. An image method of analysis is presented for such specimens. A method of using the results to correct the observed response in a simple convenient way is presented. The technique is illustrated with reference to measurements in epitaxial layers of GaAs. Average beam penetration depth may also be estimated from the curve shape.

Micron-scale roughness of volcanic surfaces from thermal infrared spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carter, Adam J.; Ramsey, Michael S.; Durant, Adam J.; Skilling, Ian P.; Wolfe, Amy

2009-02-01

Textural characteristics of recently emplaced volcanic materials provide information on the degassing history, volatile content, and future explosive activity of volcanoes. Thermal infrared (TIR) remote sensing has been used to derive the micron-scale roughness (i.e., surface vesicularity) of lavas using a two-component (glass plus blackbody) spectral deconvolution model. We apply and test this approach on TIR data of pyroclastic flow (PF) deposits for the first time. Samples from two PF deposits (January 2005: block-rich and March 2000: ash-rich) were collected at Bezymianny Volcano (Russia) and analyzed using (1) TIR emission spectroscopy, (2) scanning electron microscope (SEM)-derived roughness (profiling), (3) SEM-derived surface vesicularity (imaging), and (4) thin section observations. Results from SEM roughness (0.9-2.8 μm) and SEM vesicularity (18-26%) showed a positive correlation. These were compared to the deconvolution results from the laboratory and spaceborne spectra, as well as to field-derived percentages of the block and ash. The spaceborne results were within 5% of the laboratory results and showed a positive correlation. However, a negative correlation between the SEM and spectral results was observed and was likely due to a combination of factors; an incorrect glass end-member, particle size effects, and subsequent weathering/reworking of the PF deposits. Despite these differences, this work shows that microscopic textural heterogeneities on PF deposits can be detected with TIR remote sensing using a technique similar to that used for lavas, but the results must be carefully interpreted. If applied correctly, it could be an important tool to map recent PF deposits and infer the causative eruption style/mechanism.

Visualizing Morphological Changes of Abscission Zone Cells in Arabidopsis by Scanning Electron Microscope.

PubMed

Shi, Chun-Lin; Butenko, Melinka A

2018-01-01

Scanning electron microscope (SEM) is a type of electron microscope which produces detailed images of surface structures. It has been widely used in plants and animals to study cellular structures. Here, we describe a detailed protocol to prepare samples of floral abscission zones (AZs) for SEM, as well as further image analysis. We show that it is a powerful tool to detect morphologic changes at the cellular level during the course of abscission in wild-type plants and to establish the details of phenotypic alteration in abscission mutants.

Charge collection microscopy of in-situ switchable PRAM line cells in a scanning electron microscope: Technique development and unique observations

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Oosthoek, J. L. M.; Schuitema, R. W.; Brink, G. H. ten

2015-03-15

An imaging method has been developed based on charge collection in a scanning electron microscope (SEM) that allows discrimination between the amorphous and crystalline states of Phase-change Random Access Memory (PRAM) line cells. During imaging, the cells are electrically connected and can be switched between the states and the resistance can be measured. This allows for electrical characterization of the line cells in-situ in the SEM. Details on sample and measurement system requirements are provided which turned out to be crucial for the successful development of this method. Results show that the amorphous or crystalline state of the line cellsmore » can be readily discerned, but the spatial resolution is relatively poor. Nevertheless, it is still possible to estimate the length of the amorphous mark, and also for the first time, we could directly observe the shift of the amorphous mark from one side of the line cell to the other side when the polarity of the applied (50 ns) RESET pulse was reversed.« less

Characterization of Sulfur and Nanostructured Sulfur Battery Cathodes in Electron Microscopy Without Sublimation Artifacts

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Levin, Barnaby D. A.; Zachman, Michael J.; Werner, Jörg G.

Abstract Lithium sulfur (Li–S) batteries have the potential to provide higher energy storage density at lower cost than conventional lithium ion batteries. A key challenge for Li–S batteries is the loss of sulfur to the electrolyte during cycling. This loss can be mitigated by sequestering the sulfur in nanostructured carbon–sulfur composites. The nanoscale characterization of the sulfur distribution within these complex nanostructured electrodes is normally performed by electron microscopy, but sulfur sublimates and redistributes in the high-vacuum conditions of conventional electron microscopes. The resulting sublimation artifacts render characterization of sulfur in conventional electron microscopes problematic and unreliable. Here, we demonstratemore » two techniques, cryogenic transmission electron microscopy (cryo-TEM) and scanning electron microscopy in air (airSEM), that enable the reliable characterization of sulfur across multiple length scales by suppressing sulfur sublimation. We use cryo-TEM and airSEM to examine carbon–sulfur composites synthesized for use as Li–S battery cathodes, noting several cases where the commonly employed sulfur melt infusion method is highly inefficient at infiltrating sulfur into porous carbon hosts.« less

Effects of different processing techniques on multi-walled carbon nanotubes/silicone rubber nanocomposite on tensile strength properties

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mazlan, N.; Jaafar, M.; Aziz, A.; Ismail, H.; Busfield, J. J. C.

2016-10-01

In this work, two different processing techniques were approached to identify the properties of the multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) reinforced polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS). The MWCNT was dispersed in the polymer by using the ultrasonic and twin screw extruder mixer. The final composite showed different manner of dispersed tubes in the silicone rubber matrix. High shear twin screw extruder tends to fragment the tubes during processing compound, which can be observed by scanning electron microscope (SEM). Tensile strength of the extrusion MWCNT/PDMS nanocomposites was found to be higher compared to ultrasonic MWCNT/PDMS nanocomposites.

A Student-Built Scanning Tunneling Microscope

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ekkens, Tom

2015-01-01

Many introductory and nanotechnology textbooks discuss the operation of various microscopes including atomic force (AFM), scanning tunneling (STM), and scanning electron microscopes (SEM). In a nanotechnology laboratory class, students frequently utilize microscopes to obtain data without a thought about the detailed operation of the tool itself.…

Nondestructive SEM for surface and subsurface wafer imaging

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Propst, Roy H.; Bagnell, C. Robert; Cole, Edward I., Jr.; Davies, Brian G.; Dibianca, Frank A.; Johnson, Darryl G.; Oxford, William V.; Smith, Craig A.

1987-01-01

The scanning electron microscope (SEM) is considered as a tool for both failure analysis as well as device characterization. A survey is made of various operational SEM modes and their applicability to image processing methods on semiconductor devices.

Utility of fluorescence microscopy in embryonic/fetal topographical analysis.

PubMed

Zucker, R M; Elstein, K H; Shuey, D L; Ebron-McCoy, M; Rogers, J M

1995-06-01

For topographical analysis of developing embryos, investigators typically rely on scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to provide the surface detail not attainable with light microscopy. SEM is an expensive and time-consuming technique, however, and the preparation procedure may alter morphology and leave the specimen friable. We report that by using a high-resolution compound epifluorescence microscope with inexpensive low-power objectives and the fluorochrome acridine orange, we were able to obtain surface images of fixed or fresh whole rat embryos and fetal palates of considerably greater topographical detail than those obtained using routine light microscopy. Indeed the resulting high-resolution images afford not only superior qualitative documentation of morphological observations, but the capability for detailed morphometry via digitization and computer-assisted image analysis.

A light and scanning electron microscopic evaluation of electro-discharge-compacted porous titanium implants in rabbit tibia.

PubMed

Drummond, J F; Dominici, J T; Sammon, P J; Okazaki, K; Geissler, R; Lifland, M I; Anderson, S A; Renshaw, W

1995-01-01

This study used light and scanning electron microscopic (SEM) histomorphometric methods to quantitate the rate of osseointegration of totally porous titanium alloy (Ti-6Al-4V) implants prepared by a novel fabrication technique--electrodischarge compaction (EDC). EDC was used to fuse 150-250-micrometer spherical titanium alloy beads into 4 X 6 mm cylindrical implants through application of a 300-microsecond pulse of high-voltage/high-current density. Two sterilized implants were surgically placed into each tibia of 20 New Zealand white rabbits and left in situ for periods corresponding to 2, 4, 8, 12, and 24 weeks. At each time point, 4 rabbits were humanely killed, and the implants with surrounding bone were removed, fixed, and sectioned for light and SEM studies. The degree of osseointegration was quantitated by means of a True Grid Digitizing Pad and Jandel Scan Version 3.9 software on an IBM PS/2 computer. The total pore area occupied by bone was divided by the total pore area available for bone ingrowth, and a Bone Ingrowth Factor (BIF) was calculated as a percent. The light microscopic results showed BIFs of 4% at week 2, 47% at week 4, 62% at week 8, 84% at week 12, and greater than 90% at week 24. The SEM results showed BIFs of 5% at week 2, 34% at week 4, 69% at week 8, 75% at week 12, and in excess of 90% at week 24. The results of this study show that EDC implants are biocompatible and support rapid osseointegration in the rabbit tibia and suggest that, after additional studies, they may be suitable for use as dental implants in humans.

Scanning electron microscope image signal-to-noise ratio monitoring for micro-nanomanipulation.

PubMed

Marturi, Naresh; Dembélé, Sounkalo; Piat, Nadine

2014-01-01

As an imaging system, scanning electron microscope (SEM) performs an important role in autonomous micro-nanomanipulation applications. When it comes to the sub micrometer range and at high scanning speeds, the images produced by the SEM are noisy and need to be evaluated or corrected beforehand. In this article, the quality of images produced by a tungsten gun SEM has been evaluated by quantifying the level of image signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). In order to determine the SNR, an efficient and online monitoring method is developed based on the nonlinear filtering using a single image. Using this method, the quality of images produced by a tungsten gun SEM is monitored at different experimental conditions. The derived results demonstrate the developed method's efficiency in SNR quantification and illustrate the imaging quality evolution in SEM. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

New advances in scanning microscopy and its application to study parasitic protozoa.

PubMed

de Souza, Wanderley; Attias, Marcia

2018-07-01

Scanning electron microscopy has been used to observe and study parasitic protozoa for at least 40 years. However, field emission electron sources, as well as improvements in lenses and detectors, brought the resolution power of scanning electron microscopes (SEM) to a new level. Parallel to the refinement of instruments, protocols for preservation of the ultrastructure, immunolabeling, exposure of cytoskeleton and inner structures of parasites and host cells were developed. This review is focused on protozoan parasites of medical and veterinary relevance, e.g., Toxoplasma gondii, Tritrichomonas foetus, Giardia intestinalis, and Trypanosoma cruzi, compilating the main achievements in describing the fine ultrastructure of their surface, cytoskeleton and interaction with host cells. Two new resources, namely, Helium Ion Microscopy (HIM) and Slice and View, using either Focused Ion Beam (FIB) abrasion or Microtome Serial Sectioning (MSS) within the microscope chamber, combined to backscattered electron imaging of fixed (chemically or by quick freezing followed by freeze substitution and resin embedded samples is bringing an exponential amount of valuable information. In HIM there is no need of conductive coating and the depth of field is much higher than in any field emission SEM. As for FIB- and MSS-SEM, high resolution 3-D models of areas and volumes larger than any other technique allows can be obtained. The main results achieved with all these technological tools and some protocols for sample preparation are included in this review. In addition, we included some results obtained with environmental/low vacuum scanning microscopy and cryo-scanning electron microscopy, both promising, but not yet largely employed SEM modalities. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Three-Dimensional (3D) Nanometrology Based on Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) Stereophotogrammetry.

PubMed

Tondare, Vipin N; Villarrubia, John S; Vlada R, András E

2017-10-01

Three-dimensional (3D) reconstruction of a sample surface from scanning electron microscope (SEM) images taken at two perspectives has been known for decades. Nowadays, there exist several commercially available stereophotogrammetry software packages. For testing these software packages, in this study we used Monte Carlo simulated SEM images of virtual samples. A virtual sample is a model in a computer, and its true dimensions are known exactly, which is impossible for real SEM samples due to measurement uncertainty. The simulated SEM images can be used for algorithm testing, development, and validation. We tested two stereophotogrammetry software packages and compared their reconstructed 3D models with the known geometry of the virtual samples used to create the simulated SEM images. Both packages performed relatively well with simulated SEM images of a sample with a rough surface. However, in a sample containing nearly uniform and therefore low-contrast zones, the height reconstruction error was ≈46%. The present stereophotogrammetry software packages need further improvement before they can be used reliably with SEM images with uniform zones.

The Scanning Electron Microscope As An Accelerator For The Undergraduate Advanced Physics Laboratory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Peterson, Randolph S.; Berggren, Karl K.; Mondol, Mark

2011-06-01

Few universities or colleges have an accelerator for use with advanced physics laboratories, but many of these institutions have a scanning electron microscope (SEM) on site, often in the biology department. As an accelerator for the undergraduate, advanced physics laboratory, the SEM is an excellent substitute for an ion accelerator. Although there are no nuclear physics experiments that can be performed with a typical 30 kV SEM, there is an opportunity for experimental work on accelerator physics, atomic physics, electron-solid interactions, and the basics of modern e-beam lithography.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kuruma, K.; Takamiya, D.; Ota, Y.

We demonstrate precise and quick detection of the positions of quantum dots (QDs) embedded in two-dimensional photonic crystal nanocavities. We apply this technique to investigate the QD position dependence of the optical coupling between the QD and the nanocavity. We use a scanning electron microscope (SEM) operating at a low acceleration voltage to detect surface bumps induced by the QDs buried underneath. This enables QD detection with a sub-10 nm precision. We then experimentally measure the vacuum Rabi spectra to extract the optical coupling strengths (gs) between single QDs and cavities, and compare them to the values estimated by a combinationmore » of the SEM-measured QD positions and electromagnetic cavity field simulations. We found a highly linear relationship between the local cavity field intensities and the QD-cavity gs, suggesting the validity of the point dipole approximation used in the estimation of the gs. The estimation using SEM has a small standard deviation of ±6.2%, which potentially enables the high accuracy prediction of g prior to optical measurements. Our technique will play a key role for deeply understanding the interaction between QDs and photonic nanostructures and for advancing QD-based cavity quantum electrodynamics.« less

Multifarious applications of atomic force microscopy in forensic science investigations.

PubMed

Pandey, Gaurav; Tharmavaram, Maithri; Rawtani, Deepak; Kumar, Sumit; Agrawal, Y

2017-04-01

Forensic science is a wide field comprising of several subspecialties and uses methods derived from natural sciences for finding criminals and other evidence valid in a legal court. A relatively new area; Nano-forensics brings a new era of investigation in forensic science in which instantaneous results can be produced that determine various agents such as explosive gasses, biological agents and residues in different crime scenes and terrorist activity investigations. This can be achieved by applying Nanotechnology and its associated characterization techniques in forensic sciences. Several characterization techniques exist in Nanotechnology and nano-analysis is one such technique that is used in forensic science which includes Electron microscopes (EM) like Transmission (TEM) and Scanning (SEM), Raman microscopy (Micro -Raman) and Scanning Probe Microscopes (SPMs) like Atomic Force Microscope (AFM). Atomic force microscopy enables surface characterization of different materials by examining their morphology and mechanical properties. Materials that are immeasurable such as hair, body fluids, textile fibers, documents, polymers, pressure sensitive adhesives (PSAs), etc. are often encountered during forensic investigations. This review article will mainly focus on the use of AFM in the examination of different evidence such as blood stains, forged documents, human hair samples, ammunitions, explosives, and other such applications in the field of Forensic Science. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Standardized Polyalthia longifolia leaf extract (PLME) inhibits cell proliferation and promotes apoptosis: The anti-cancer study with various microscopy methods.

PubMed

Vijayarathna, Soundararajan; Chen, Yeng; Kanwar, Jagat R; Sasidharan, Sreenivasan

2017-07-01

Over the years a number of microscopy methods have been developed to assess the changes in cells. Some non-invasive techniques such as holographic digital microscopy (HDM), which although does not destroy the cells, but helps to monitor the events that leads to initiation of apoptotic cell death. In this study, the apoptogenic property and the cytotoxic effect of P. longifolia leaf methanolic extract (PLME) against the human cervical carcinoma cells (HeLa) was studied using light microscope (LM), holographic digital microscopy (HDM), scanning electron microscope (SEM) and transmission electron microscope (TEM). The average IC 50 value of PLME against HeLa cells obtained by MTT and CyQuant assay was 22.00μg/mL at 24h. However, noncancerous Vero cells tested with PLME exhibited no cytotoxicity with the IC 50 value of 51.07μg/mL at 24h by using MTT assay. Cytological observations showed nuclear condensation, cell shrinkage, multinucleation, abnormalities of mitochondrial cristae, membrane blebbing, disappearance of microvilli and filopodia, narrowing of lamellipodia, holes, formation of numerous smaller vacuoles, cytoplasmic extrusions and formation of apoptotic bodies as confirmed collectively by HDM, LM, SEM and TEM. In conclusion, PLME was able to produce distinctive morphological features of HeLa cell death that corresponds to apoptosis. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Synthesis and characterization of intercalated polyaniline-clay nanocomposite using supercritical CO2

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abdelraheem, A.; El-Shazly, A. H.; Elkady, M. F.

2018-05-01

Lately, supercritical CO2 (SCCO2) have been getting great interest. It can be used in numerous applications because it is environmentally friendly, safe, comparatively low cost, and nonflammable. One of its applications is being a solvent in the synthesis of polymeric-clay nanocomposite. In this paper, intercalated polyaniline-clay nanocomposite (PANC) was prepared using SCCO2. The intercalation structure of polyaniline chains between clay layers was verified by various characterization techniques. Scanning electron microscope and transmission electron microscope (SEM-TEM) were used to show the morphology of the synthesized nanocomposite. The molecular structure of PANC nanocomposite was confirmed using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The BET surface area and the conductivity of the nanocomposite were determined.

A facile thermal decomposition route to synthesise CoFe2O4 nanostructures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kalpanadevi, K.; Sinduja, C. R.; Manimekalai, R.

2014-01-01

The synthesis of CoFe2O4 nanoparticles has been achieved by a simple thermal decomposition method from an inorganic precursor, cobalt ferrous cinnamate hydrazinate (CoFe2(cin)3(N2H4)3) which was obtained by a novel precipitation method from the corresponding metal salts, cinnamic acid and hydrazine hydrate. The precursor was characterized by hydrazine and metal analyses, infrared spectral analysis and thermo gravimetric analysis. Under appropriate annealing, CoFe2(cin)3(N2H4)3 yielded CoFe2O4 nanoparticles, which were characterized for their size and structure using X-Ray diffraction (XRD), high resolution transmission electron microscopic (HRTEM), selected area electron diffraction (SAED) and scanning electron microscopic (SEM) techniques.

Synthesis, characterization, in vitro anti-proliferative and hemolytic activity of hydroxyapatite

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Palanivelu, R.; Ruban Kumar, A.

2014-06-01

Hydroxyapatite (Ca10(PO4)6(OH)2, HAP) nanoparticles are widely used in several biomedical applications due to its compositional similarities to bone mineral, excellent biocompatibility and bioactivity, osteoconductivity. In this present investigation, HAP nanoparticles synthesized by precipitation technique using calcium nitrate and di-ammonium phosphate. The crystalline nature and the functional group analysis are confirmed using X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and Fourier transform Raman spectroscopy (FT-Raman) respectively. The morphological observations are ascertained from field emission electron scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM) and transmission electron microscope (TEM). In vitro anti-proliferative and hemolytic activities are carried out on the synthesized HAP samples and the studies reveals that HAP have mild activity against erythrocytes.

New possibilities to analyse non-standard explosives and post blast residues in forensic practice

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kotrlý, Marek; Turková, Ivana

2005-05-01

Nonstandard and home-made explosives always pose a considerable threat for security forces in terms of their practically unlimited variability, both in composition and in construction of explosive devises. Electron microscopy - SEM with EDS/WDS is one of the key techniques for an analysis of non-standard explosives and post-blast residues. If the amount of materials allows it, a number of other analytical techniques are utilized, such as XRD that is capable of a direct phase identification of a crystalline substance, namely in mixtures. TLC has constantly proved itself useful for laboratory screening. Furthermore, combinations of FTIR, Raman spectrometry, LC MS, GC MS, XRF, micro XRF and other ones are applied. In the case of identification of post-blast residues, where an investigation is often conducted at the level of separate microscopic particles, the role of SEM is unsubstitutable, whereas the analysis of the organic phase from these often sporadic microparticles has been infeasible until recently. One of the very interesting options appears to be Raman spectrometry technique, which is nowadays obtainable as a supplement to SEM EDX. Newly available is the device that is fully confocal, SEM keeps full functionality and scan range, very high resolution (for green laser resolution 360nm FWHM; 430nm Rayleigh), it is fitted with high quality objective lens, enhances mapping through Raman spectrometry in a volume 250μm x 250μm x 250μm by piezo driven scanner (capacitive feedback linearized) and obtaining a high quality white light image (250μm x 250μm) immediately in the SEM chamber. This technique is currently undergoing intensive testing and it seems that the method could significantly help to address issues with the analysis of organic phases in electron microscopy not only in the case of post-blast residues and explosives.

A Miniaturized Variable Pressure Scanning Electron Microscope (MVP-SEM) for the Surface of Mars: An Instrument for the Planetary Science Community

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Edmunson, J.; Gaskin, J. A.; Danilatos, G.; Doloboff, I. J.; Effinger, M. R.; Harvey, R. P.; Jerman, G. A.; Klein-Schoder, R.; Mackie, W.; Magera, B.;

The Potential Protective Effects of 2-aminoethyl Diphenylborinate against Inner Ear Acoustic Trauma: Experimental Study Using Transmission and Scanning Electron Microscopy.

PubMed

Kaymakçı, Mustafa; Acar, Mustafa; Burukoglu, Dilek; Kutlu, Hatice Mehtap; Shojaolsadati, Paria; Cingi, Cemal; Bayar Muluk, Nuray

2015-04-01

In this prospective experimental study, we investigated the preventive effects of 2-aminoethyl diphenylborinate (2-APB) in rats exposed to acoustic trauma (AT). Light microscopic, transmission electron microscopic (TEM), and scanning electron microscopic (SEM) examinations were performed. Eighteen healthy Wistar albino rats were divided into the following three groups: groups 1 (control), 2 (AT), and 3 (AT+APB). The rats in groups 2 and 3 were exposed to AT; in group 3 rats, 2-APB at 2 mg/kg was also administered, initially transperitoneally, after 10 min. During the light microscopic, TEM, and SEM examinations, the structures of the cochlear hair cells, stereocilia, and Deiter's cells were normal in the control group. In the AT group, the organ of Corti and proximate structures were damaged according to the light microscopic examination. During the TEM examination, intense cellular damage and stereocilia loss were detected, while during the SEM examination, extensive damage and stereocilia loss were observed. Decreased damage with preserved cochlear structure was detected during the light microscopic examination in the AT+APB group than in the AT group. During the TEM and SEM examinations, although stereocilia loss occurred in the AT+APB group, near-normal cell, cilia, and tectorial membrane structures were also observed in the AT+APB group compared with the AT group. 2-APB may have protective effects against AT damage of the cochlea. The main mechanism underlying this effect is the inhibition of the vasoconstriction of the cochlear spiral modiolar artery, thereby improving cochlear blood flow. We conclude that 2-APB may also be effective if used immediately following AT.

Scanning Electron Microscope-Cathodoluminescence Analysis of Rare-Earth Elements in Magnets.

PubMed

Imashuku, Susumu; Wagatsuma, Kazuaki; Kawai, Jun

2016-02-01

Scanning electron microscope-cathodoluminescence (SEM-CL) analysis was performed for neodymium-iron-boron (NdFeB) and samarium-cobalt (Sm-Co) magnets to analyze the rare-earth elements present in the magnets. We examined the advantages of SEM-CL analysis over conventional analytical methods such as SEM-energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectroscopy and SEM-wavelength-dispersive X-ray (WDX) spectroscopy for elemental analysis of rare-earth elements in NdFeB magnets. Luminescence spectra of chloride compounds of elements in the magnets were measured by the SEM-CL method. Chloride compounds were obtained by the dropwise addition of hydrochloric acid on the magnets followed by drying in vacuum. Neodymium, praseodymium, terbium, and dysprosium were separately detected in the NdFeB magnets, and samarium was detected in the Sm-Co magnet by the SEM-CL method. In contrast, it was difficult to distinguish terbium and dysprosium in the NdFeB magnet with a dysprosium concentration of 1.05 wt% by conventional SEM-EDX analysis. Terbium with a concentration of 0.02 wt% in an NdFeB magnet was detected by SEM-CL analysis, but not by conventional SEM-WDX analysis. SEM-CL analysis is advantageous over conventional SEM-EDX and SEM-WDX analyses for detecting trace rare-earth elements in NdFeB magnets, particularly dysprosium and terbium.

Freeze-fracture of infected plant leaves in ethanol for scanning electron microscopic study of fungal pathogens.

PubMed

Moore, Jayma A; Payne, Scott A

2012-01-01

Fungi often are found within plant tissues where they cannot be visualized with the scanning electron microscope (SEM). We present a simple way to reveal cell interiors while avoiding many common causes of artifact. Freeze-fracture of leaf tissue using liquid nitrogen during the 100% ethanol step of the dehydration process just before critical point drying is useful in exposing intracellular fungi to the SEM.

Nonlinear least squares regression for single image scanning electron microscope signal-to-noise ratio estimation.

PubMed

Sim, K S; Norhisham, S

2016-11-01

A new method based on nonlinear least squares regression (NLLSR) is formulated to estimate signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of scanning electron microscope (SEM) images. The estimation of SNR value based on NLLSR method is compared with the three existing methods of nearest neighbourhood, first-order interpolation and the combination of both nearest neighbourhood and first-order interpolation. Samples of SEM images with different textures, contrasts and edges were used to test the performance of NLLSR method in estimating the SNR values of the SEM images. It is shown that the NLLSR method is able to produce better estimation accuracy as compared to the other three existing methods. According to the SNR results obtained from the experiment, the NLLSR method is able to produce approximately less than 1% of SNR error difference as compared to the other three existing methods. © 2016 The Authors Journal of Microscopy © 2016 Royal Microscopical Society.

Characterization of flexure hinges for the French watt balance experiment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pinot, Patrick; Genevès, Gérard

2014-08-01

In the French watt balance experiment, the translation and rotation functions must have no backlash, no friction, nor the need for lubricants. In addition errors in position and movement must be below 100 nm. Flexure hinges can meet all of these criteria. Different materials, profile shapes and machining techniques have been studied. The flexure pivots have been characterized using three techniques: 1) an optical microscope and, if necessary, a SEM to observe the surface inhomogeneities; 2) a mass comparator to determine the bending stiffness of unloaded pivots; 3) a loaded beam oscillating freely under vacuum to study the dynamic behavior of loaded pivots.

Visual Servoing-Based Nanorobotic System for Automated Electrical Characterization of Nanotubes inside SEM.

PubMed

Ding, Huiyang; Shi, Chaoyang; Ma, Li; Yang, Zhan; Wang, Mingyu; Wang, Yaqiong; Chen, Tao; Sun, Lining; Toshio, Fukuda

2018-04-08

The maneuvering and electrical characterization of nanotubes inside a scanning electron microscope (SEM) has historically been time-consuming and laborious for operators. Before the development of automated nanomanipulation-enabled techniques for the performance of pick-and-place and characterization of nanoobjects, these functions were still incomplete and largely operated manually. In this paper, a dual-probe nanomanipulation system vision-based feedback was demonstrated to automatically perform 3D nanomanipulation tasks, to investigate the electrical characterization of nanotubes. The XY-position of Atomic Force Microscope (AFM) cantilevers and individual carbon nanotubes (CNTs) were precisely recognized via a series of image processing operations. A coarse-to-fine positioning strategy in the Z-direction was applied through the combination of the sharpness-based depth estimation method and the contact-detection method. The use of nanorobotic magnification-regulated speed aided in improving working efficiency and reliability. Additionally, we proposed automated alignment of manipulator axes by visual tracking the movement trajectory of the end effector. The experimental results indicate the system's capability for automated measurement electrical characterization of CNTs. Furthermore, the automated nanomanipulation system has the potential to be extended to other nanomanipulation tasks.

Visual Servoing-Based Nanorobotic System for Automated Electrical Characterization of Nanotubes inside SEM

PubMed Central

Ding, Huiyang; Shi, Chaoyang; Ma, Li; Yang, Zhan; Wang, Mingyu; Wang, Yaqiong; Chen, Tao; Sun, Lining; Toshio, Fukuda

2018-01-01

The maneuvering and electrical characterization of nanotubes inside a scanning electron microscope (SEM) has historically been time-consuming and laborious for operators. Before the development of automated nanomanipulation-enabled techniques for the performance of pick-and-place and characterization of nanoobjects, these functions were still incomplete and largely operated manually. In this paper, a dual-probe nanomanipulation system vision-based feedback was demonstrated to automatically perform 3D nanomanipulation tasks, to investigate the electrical characterization of nanotubes. The XY-position of Atomic Force Microscope (AFM) cantilevers and individual carbon nanotubes (CNTs) were precisely recognized via a series of image processing operations. A coarse-to-fine positioning strategy in the Z-direction was applied through the combination of the sharpness-based depth estimation method and the contact-detection method. The use of nanorobotic magnification-regulated speed aided in improving working efficiency and reliability. Additionally, we proposed automated alignment of manipulator axes by visual tracking the movement trajectory of the end effector. The experimental results indicate the system’s capability for automated measurement electrical characterization of CNTs. Furthermore, the automated nanomanipulation system has the potential to be extended to other nanomanipulation tasks. PMID:29642495

SEM technique for imaging and measuring electronic transport in nanocomposites based on electric field induced contrast

DOEpatents

Jesse, Stephen [Knoxville, TN; Geohegan, David B [Knoxville, TN; Guillorn, Michael [Brooktondale, NY

2009-02-17

Methods and apparatus are described for SEM imaging and measuring electronic transport in nanocomposites based on electric field induced contrast. A method includes mounting a sample onto a sample holder, the sample including a sample material; wire bonding leads from the sample holder onto the sample; placing the sample holder in a vacuum chamber of a scanning electron microscope; connecting leads from the sample holder to a power source located outside the vacuum chamber; controlling secondary electron emission from the sample by applying a predetermined voltage to the sample through the leads; and generating an image of the secondary electron emission from the sample. An apparatus includes a sample holder for a scanning electron microscope having an electrical interconnect and leads on top of the sample holder electrically connected to the electrical interconnect; a power source and a controller connected to the electrical interconnect for applying voltage to the sample holder to control the secondary electron emission from a sample mounted on the sample holder; and a computer coupled to a secondary electron detector to generate images of the secondary electron emission from the sample.

Surface Modification Technique of Cathode Materials for LI-ION Battery

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jia, Yongzhong; Han, Jinduo; Jing, Yan; Jin, Shan; Qi, Taiyuan

Cathode materials for Li-ion battery LiMn2O4 and LiCo0.1Mn1.9O4 were prepared by soft chemical method. Carbon, which was made by decomposing organic compounds, was used as modifying agent. Cathode material matrix was mixed with water solution that had contained organic compound such as cane sugar, soluble amylum, levulose et al. These mixture were reacted at 150 200 °C for 0.5 4 h in a Teflon-lined autoclave to get a series of homogeneously C-coated cathode materials. The new products were analyzed by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and infrared (IR). Morphology of cathode materials was characterized by scanning electron microscope (SEM) and transition electron microscope (TEM). The new homogeneously C-coated products that were used as cathode materials of lithium-ion battery had good electrochemical stability and cycle performance. This technique has free-pollution, low cost, simpleness and easiness to realize the industrialization of the cathode materials for Li-ion battery.

Influence of graphene quantum dots on electrical properties of polymer composites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arthisree, D.; Joshi, Girish M.

2017-07-01

We successfully prepared synthetic nanocomposite (SNC) by dispersing graphene quantum dots (GQD) in cellulose acetate (CA) polymer system. The dispersion and occupied network of GQD were foreseen by microscopic techniques. The variation of plane to crossed linked array network was observed by the polarizing optical microscopic (POM) technique. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) revealed the leaves like impressions of GQD in host polymer system. The series network of GQD occupied in CA at higher resolution was confirmed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The two dimensional (2D) topographic images demonstrated an entangled polymer network to plane morphology. The variation in surface roughness was evaluated from the dimensional (3D) topography. The influence of temperature on AC conductivity with highest value (4  ×  10-5 S cm-1), contributes to the decrease in activation energy. The DC conductivity obeys the percolation criteria co-related to the GQD loading by weight fraction. Furthermore, this synthetic nanocomposite is feasible for the development of sensing and electrical applications.

Microstructural Study of Micron-Sized Craters Simulating Stardust Impacts in Aluminum 1100 Targets

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Leroux, Hugues; Borg, Janet; Troadec, David; Djouadi, Zahia; Horz, Friedrich

2006-01-01

Various microscopic techniques were used to characterize experimental micro- craters in aluminium foils to prepare for the comprehensive analysis of the cometary and interstellar particle impacts in aluminium foils to be returned by the Stardust mission. First, SEM (Scanning Electron Microscopy) and EDS (Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy) were used to study the morphology of the impact craters and the bulk composition of the residues left by soda-lime glass impactors. A more detailed structural and compositional study of impactor remnants was then performed using TEM (Transmission Electron Microscopy), EDS, and electron diffraction methods. The TEM samples were prepared by Focused Ion Beam (FIB) methods. This technique proved to be especially valuable in studying impact crater residues and impact crater morphology. Finally, we also showed that InfraRed microscopy (IR) can be a quick and reliable tool for such investigations. The combination of all of these tools enables a complete microscopic characterization of the craters.

Microbial structures in an Alpine Thermal Spring - Microscopic techniques for the examination of Biofilms in a Subsurface Environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dornmayr-Pfaffenhuemer, Marion; Pierson, Elisabeth; Janssen, Geert-Jan; Stan-Lotter, Helga

2010-05-01

The research into extreme environments hast important implications for biology and other sciences. Many of the organisms found there provide insights into the history of Earth. Life exists in all niches where water is present in liquid form. Isolated environments such as caves and other subsurface locations are of interest for geomicrobiological studies. And because of their "extra-terrestrial" conditions such as darkness and mostly extreme physicochemical state they are also of astrobiological interest. The slightly radioactive thermal spring at Bad Gastein (Austria) was therefore examined for the occurrence of subsurface microbial communities. The surfaces of the submerged rocks in this warm spring were overgrown by microbial mats. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) performed by the late Dr. Wolfgang Heinen revealed an interesting morphological diversity in biofilms found in this environment (1, 2). Molecular analysis of the community structure of the radioactive subsurface thermal spring was performed by Weidler et al. (3). The growth of these mats was simulated using sterile glass slides which were exposed to the water stream of the spring. Those mats were analysed microscopically. Staining, using fluorescent dyes such as 4',6-Diamidino-2-phenylindol (DAPI), gave an overview of the microbial diversity of these biofilms. Additional SEM samples were prepared using different fixation protocols. Scanning confocal laser microscopy (SCLM) allowed a three dimensional view of the analysed biofilms. This work presents some electron micrographs of Dr. Heinen and additionally new microscopic studies of the biofilms formed on the glass slides. The appearances of the new SEM micrographs were compared to those of Dr. Heinen that were done several years ago. The morphology and small-scale distribution in the microbial mat was analyzed by fluorescence microscopy. The examination of natural biomats and biofilms grown on glass slides using several microscopical techniques suggest that the thermal springs in the Central Alps near Bad Gastein represent a novel and unique habitat for microbial life. Results obtained during these studies revealed reproducibility of Dr. Heinen's micrographs. Hollow reticulated filaments and flat ribbons with parallel hexagonal chambers (web-structures) were found repeatedly. Given the chance that subsurface environments represent a potent opportunity to detect life on planetary bodies it is of big interest to search for representative biosignatures found on earth today. References: 1. Lauwers A. M. & Heinen W. (1985) Mikroskopie (Wien) 42, 94-101. 2. Heinen W. & Lauwers A. M. (1985) Mikroskopie (Wien) 42, 124-134. 3. Weidler G. W., Dornmayr-Pfaffenhuemer M., Gerbl F. W., Heinen W., Stan-Lotter H. (2007) AEM 73, 259-270.

MicroRaman, PXRD, EDS and microscopic investigation of magnesium calcite biomineral phases. The case of sea urchin biominerals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Borzęcka-Prokop, B.; Wesełucha-Birczyńska, A.; Koszowska, E.

2007-02-01

This study concerns Mg-calcite characterization (and in particular molecular structure and microstructural studies of mineral phases) of a sea urchin mineralised test and spines. Sea urchins are spiny sea animals (kingdom Animalia, phylum Echinodermata, class Echinoidea). Microscopic observations, SEM, EDS, PXRD and spectroscopic microRaman methods have been applied to characterize the biomineral parts of the sea urchin. The latter technique is very useful in research of biological systems and especially suitable for monitoring differences within biomineral phases exhibiting varieties of morphological forms. Crystalline magnesium calcium carbonate, Mg xCa 1- xCO 3 (magnesian calcite; space group R-3 cH; a = 4.9594(8) Å, c = 16.886(6) Å), has been identified as the predominant biomineral component.

Direct-write maskless lithography using patterned oxidation of Si-substrate Induced by femtosecond laser pulses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kiani, Amirkianoosh; Venkatakrishnan, Krishnan; Tan, Bo

2013-03-01

In this study we report a new method for direct-write maskless lithography using oxidized silicon layer induced by high repetition (MHz) ultrafast (femtosecond) laser pulses under ambient condition. The induced thin layer of predetermined pattern can act as an etch stop during etching process in alkaline etchants such as KOH. The proposed method can be leading to promising solutions for direct-write maskless lithography technique since the proposed method offers a higher degree of flexibility and reduced time and cost of fabrication which makes it particularly appropriate for rapid prototyping and custom scale manufacturing. A Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), Micro-Raman, Energy Dispersive X-ray (EDX), optical microscope and X-ray diffraction spectroscopy (XRD) were used to evaluate the quality of oxidized layer induced by laser pulses.

Photoluminescence investigation of type-II GaSb/GaAs quantum dots grown by liquid phase epitaxy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Yang; Hu, Shuhong; Xie, Hao; Lin, Hongyu; lu, Hongbo; Wang, Chao; Sun, Yan; Dai, Ning

2018-06-01

GaSb quantum dots (QDs) with an areal density of ∼1 × 1010 cm-2 are successfully grown by the modified (rapid slider) liquid phase epitaxy technique. The morphology of the QDs has been investigated by scanning electron microscope (SEM) and atom force microscope (AFM). The power-dependence and temperature-dependence photoluminescence (PL) spectra have been studied. The bright room-temperature PL suggests a good luminescence quality of GaSb QDs/GaAs matrix system. The type-II alignment of the GaSb QDs/GaAs matrix system is verified by the blue-shift of the QDs peak with the increase of excitation power. From the temperature-dependence PL spectra, the activation energy of QDs is determined to be 111 meV.

Synthesis, characterization, in vitro anti-proliferative and hemolytic activity of hydroxyapatite.

PubMed

Palanivelu, R; Ruban Kumar, A

2014-06-05

Hydroxyapatite (Ca10(PO4)6(OH)2, HAP) nanoparticles are widely used in several biomedical applications due to its compositional similarities to bone mineral, excellent biocompatibility and bioactivity, osteoconductivity. In this present investigation, HAP nanoparticles synthesized by precipitation technique using calcium nitrate and di-ammonium phosphate. The crystalline nature and the functional group analysis are confirmed using X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and Fourier transform Raman spectroscopy (FT-Raman) respectively. The morphological observations are ascertained from field emission electron scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM) and transmission electron microscope (TEM). In vitro anti-proliferative and hemolytic activities are carried out on the synthesized HAP samples and the studies reveals that HAP have mild activity against erythrocytes. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Two-dimensional simulation and modeling in scanning electron microscope imaging and metrology research.

PubMed

Postek, Michael T; Vladár, András E; Lowney, Jeremiah R; Keery, William J

2002-01-01

Traditional Monte Carlo modeling of the electron beam-specimen interactions in a scanning electron microscope (SEM) produces information about electron beam penetration and output signal generation at either a single beam-landing location, or multiple landing positions. If the multiple landings lie on a line, the results can be graphed in a line scan-like format. Monte Carlo results formatted as line scans have proven useful in providing one-dimensional information about the sample (e.g., linewidth). When used this way, this process is called forward line scan modeling. In the present work, the concept of image simulation (or the first step in the inverse modeling of images) is introduced where the forward-modeled line scan data are carried one step further to construct theoretical two-dimensional (2-D) micrographs (i.e., theoretical SEM images) for comparison with similar experimentally obtained micrographs. This provides an ability to mimic and closely match theory and experiment using SEM images. Calculated and/or measured libraries of simulated images can be developed with this technique. The library concept will prove to be very useful in the determination of dimensional and other properties of simple structures, such as integrated circuit parts, where the shape of the features is preferably measured from a single top-down image or a line scan. This paper presents one approach to the generation of 2-D simulated images and presents some suggestions as to their application to critical dimension metrology.

Macroscopic and microscopic variation in recovered magnesium phosphate materials: implications for phosphorus removal processes and product re-use.

PubMed

Massey, Michael S; Ippolito, James A; Davis, Jessica G; Sheffield, Ron E

2010-02-01

Phosphorus (P) recovery and re-use will become increasingly important for water quality protection and sustainable nutrient cycling as environmental regulations become stricter and global P reserves decline. The objective of this study was to examine and characterize several magnesium phosphates recovered from actual wastewater under field conditions. Three types of particles were examined including crystalline magnesium ammonium phosphate hexahydrate (struvite) recovered from dairy wastewater, crystalline magnesium ammonium phosphate hydrate (dittmarite) recovered from a food processing facility, and a heterogeneous product also recovered from dairy wastewater. The particles were analyzed using "wet" chemical techniques, powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), and scanning electron microscopy in conjunction with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDS). The struvite crystals had regular and consistent shape, size, and structure, and SEM-EDS analysis clearly showed the struvite crystals as a surface precipitate on calcium phosphate seed material. In contrast, the dittmarite crystals showed no evidence of seed material, and were not regular in size or shape. The XRD analysis identified no crystalline magnesium phosphates in the heterogeneous product and indicated the presence of sand particles. However, magnesium phosphate precipitates on calcium phosphate seed material were observed in this product under SEM-EDS examination. These substantial variations in the macroscopic and microscopic characteristics of magnesium phosphates recovered under field conditions could affect their potential for beneficial re-use and underscore the need to develop recovery processes that result in a uniform, consistent product.

Precession electron diffraction for SiC grain boundary characterization in unirradiated TRISO fuel

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lillo, T. M.; van Rooyen, I. J.; Wu, Y. Q.

Precession electron diffraction (PED), a transmission electron microscopy-based technique, has been evaluated for the suitability for evaluating grain boundary character in the SiC layer of tristructural isotropic (TRISO) fuel. Although the ultimate goal is to determine the grain boundary characteristics of fission product containing grain boundaries of neutron irradiated SiC, our work reports the effect of transmission electron microscope (TEM) lamella thickness on quality of data and establishes a baseline comparison on grain boundary characteristics determined previously using a conventional EBSD scanning electron microscope (SEM) based technique. In general, it was determined that the lamella thickness produced using the standardmore » FIB fabrication process, is sufficient to provide reliable PED measurements with thicker lamellae (~120 nm) produce higher quality orientation data. Analysis of grain boundary character from the TEM-based PED data showed a much lower fraction of low angle grain boundaries compared to SEM-based EBSD data from the SiC layer of the same TRISO-coated particle as well as a SiC layer deposited at a slightly lower temperature. The fractions of high angle and CSL-related grain boundaries determined by PED are similar to those found using SEM-based EBSD. Since the grain size of the SiC layer of TRSIO fuel can be as small as 250 nm [12], depending on the fabrication parameters, and grain boundary fission product precipitates can be nano-sized, the TEM-based PED orientation data collection method is preferred to determine an accurate representation of the relative fractions of low angle, high angle and CSL-related grain boundaries. It was concluded that although the resolution of the PED data is better by more than an order of magnitude, data acquisition times may be significantly longer or the number of areas analyzed significantly larger than the SEM-based method to obtain a statistically relevant distribution. Also, grain size could be accurately determined but significantly larger analysis areas than those used in this study would be required.« less

Precession electron diffraction for SiC grain boundary characterization in unirradiated TRISO fuel

DOE PAGES

Lillo, T. M.; van Rooyen, I. J.; Wu, Y. Q.

2016-06-16

Precession electron diffraction (PED), a transmission electron microscopy-based technique, has been evaluated for the suitability for evaluating grain boundary character in the SiC layer of tristructural isotropic (TRISO) fuel. Although the ultimate goal is to determine the grain boundary characteristics of fission product containing grain boundaries of neutron irradiated SiC, our work reports the effect of transmission electron microscope (TEM) lamella thickness on quality of data and establishes a baseline comparison on grain boundary characteristics determined previously using a conventional EBSD scanning electron microscope (SEM) based technique. In general, it was determined that the lamella thickness produced using the standardmore » FIB fabrication process, is sufficient to provide reliable PED measurements with thicker lamellae (~120 nm) produce higher quality orientation data. Analysis of grain boundary character from the TEM-based PED data showed a much lower fraction of low angle grain boundaries compared to SEM-based EBSD data from the SiC layer of the same TRISO-coated particle as well as a SiC layer deposited at a slightly lower temperature. The fractions of high angle and CSL-related grain boundaries determined by PED are similar to those found using SEM-based EBSD. Since the grain size of the SiC layer of TRSIO fuel can be as small as 250 nm [12], depending on the fabrication parameters, and grain boundary fission product precipitates can be nano-sized, the TEM-based PED orientation data collection method is preferred to determine an accurate representation of the relative fractions of low angle, high angle and CSL-related grain boundaries. It was concluded that although the resolution of the PED data is better by more than an order of magnitude, data acquisition times may be significantly longer or the number of areas analyzed significantly larger than the SEM-based method to obtain a statistically relevant distribution. Also, grain size could be accurately determined but significantly larger analysis areas than those used in this study would be required.« less

Visualizing preparation using asymmetrical choline-like ionic liquids for scanning electron microscope observation of non-conductive biological samples.

PubMed

Abe, Shigeaki; Hyono, Atsushi; Kawai, Koji; Yonezawa, Tetsu

2014-03-01

In this study, we investigated conductivity preparation for scanning electron microscope (SEM) observation that used novel asymmetrical choline-type room temperature ionic liquids (RTIL). By immersion in only an RTIL solution, clear SEM images of several types of biological samples were successfully observed. In addition, we could visualize protozoans using RTILs without any dilution. These results suggested that the asymmetrical choline-type RTILs used in this study are suitable for visualizing of biological samples by SEM. Treatment without the need for dilution can obviate the need for adjusting the RTIL concentration and provide for a rapid and easy conductivity treatment for insulating samples.

In-plane and through-plane non-uniform carbon corrosion of polymer electrolyte fuel cell cathode catalyst layer during extended potential cycles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ghosh, Sourov; Ohashi, Hidenori; Tabata, Hiroshi; Hashimasa, Yoshiyuki; Yamaguchi, Takeo

2017-09-01

The impact of electrochemical carbon corrosion via potential cycling durability tests mimicking start-stop operation events on the microstructure of the cathode catalyst layer in polymer electrolyte fuel cells (PEFCs) is investigated using focused ion beam (FIB) fabrication without/with the pore-filling technique and subsequent scanning electron microscope (SEM) observations. FIB/SEM investigations without pore-filling reveals that the durability test induces non-uniform cathode shrinking across the in-plane direction; the thickness of the catalyst layer decreases more under the gas flow channel compared to the area under the rim of the flow field. Furthermore, FIB/SEM investigations with the pore-filling technique reveal that the durability test also induces non-uniform cathode shrinking in the through-plane direction; the pores in the area close to the membrane are more shrunken compared with those close to the microporous layer. In particular, a thin area (1-1.5 μm) close to the membrane is found to be severely damaged; it includes closed pores that hinder mass transport through the catalyst layer. It is suggested that uneven carbon corrosion and catalyst layer compaction are responsible for the performance loss during potential cycling operation of PEFCs.

Micromorphological Aspects of Forensic Geopedology II: Ultramicroscopic vs Microscopic Characterization of Phosphatic Impregnations on Soil Particles in Experimental Burials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ern, S. I. E.; Trombino, L.; Cattaneo, C.

2012-04-01

Grows up the importance of the role played by soil scientists in the modern forensic sciences, in particular when buried human remains strongly decomposed or skeletonized are found in different environment situations. Among the different techniques normally used in geopedology, it is usefull to apply in such forensic cases, soil micromorphology (including optical microscopy and ultramicroscopy) that has been underused up today, for various kind of reasons. An interdisciplinary Italian-team, formed by earth scientists and legal medicine, is working on several sets of experimental burial of pigs and piglets in different soil types and for different times of burial, in order to get new evidences on environmental behaviour related to the burial, focalising on geopedological and micropedological aspects. The present work is focused on: - ultramicroscopic (SEM-EDS) characterization of the phosphatic impregnation (by body fluids) on soils sampled under the dead bodies of five couples of pigs, buried respectively for one month, six month, one year, two years and two years and half in two different areas; - microscopic (petrographic microscope) and ultramicroscopic (SEM-EDS) cross characterization of the phosphatic impregnation (by body fluids) on soils sampled under the dead bodies of several piglets, buried for twenty months. The first results show trends of persistency of such phosphatic features, mainly related to the grain size of the impregnated soil particles and weather conditions (or seasons) of exhumation, while apparently time since burial is only marginally effective for the investigated burial period. Further experiments are in progress in order to clarify the pathways of phosphorus precipitation and leaching for longer times of burial and different seasons of exhumation, both from the microscopic and the pedological/chemical point of view.

Conductive resins improve charging and resolution of acquired images in electron microscopic volume imaging

PubMed Central

Nguyen, Huy Bang; Thai, Truc Quynh; Saitoh, Sei; Wu, Bao; Saitoh, Yurika; Shimo, Satoshi; Fujitani, Hiroshi; Otobe, Hirohide; Ohno, Nobuhiko

2016-01-01

Recent advances in serial block-face imaging using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) have enabled the rapid and efficient acquisition of 3-dimensional (3D) ultrastructural information from a large volume of biological specimens including brain tissues. However, volume imaging under SEM is often hampered by sample charging, and typically requires specific sample preparation to reduce charging and increase image contrast. In the present study, we introduced carbon-based conductive resins for 3D analyses of subcellular ultrastructures, using serial block-face SEM (SBF-SEM) to image samples. Conductive resins were produced by adding the carbon black filler, Ketjen black, to resins commonly used for electron microscopic observations of biological specimens. Carbon black mostly localized around tissues and did not penetrate cells, whereas the conductive resins significantly reduced the charging of samples during SBF-SEM imaging. When serial images were acquired, embedding into the conductive resins improved the resolution of images by facilitating the successful cutting of samples in SBF-SEM. These results suggest that improving the conductivities of resins with a carbon black filler is a simple and useful option for reducing charging and enhancing the resolution of images obtained for volume imaging with SEM. PMID:27020327

[A study of different polishing techniques for amalgams and glass-cermet cement by scanning electron microscope (SEM)].

PubMed

Kakaboura, A; Vougiouklakis, G; Argiri, G

1989-01-01

Finishing and polishing an amalgam restoration, is considered as an important and necessary step of the restorative procedure. Various polishing techniques have been recommended to success a smooth amalgam surface. The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of three different polishing treatments on the marginal integrity and surface smoothness of restorations made of three commercially available amalgams and a glass-cermet cement. The materials used were the amalgams, Amalcap (Vivadent), Dispersalloy (Johnson and Johnson), Duralloy (Degussa) and the glass-cermet Katac-Silver (ESPE). The occlusal surfaces of the restorations were polished by the methods: I) round bur, No4-rubber cup-zinc oxide paste in a small brush, II) round bur No 4-bur-brown, green and super green (Shofu) polishing cups and points successively and III) amalgam polishing bur of 12-blades-smooth amalgam polishing bur. Photographs from unpolished and polished surfaces of the restorations, were taken with scanning electron microscope, to evaluate the polishing techniques. An improvement of marginal integrity and surface smoothness of all amalgam restorations was observed after the specimens had been polished with the three techniques. Method II, included Shofu polishers, proved the best results in comparison to the methods I and III. Polishing of glass-cermet cement was impossible with the examined techniques.

Discopersicus n. gen., a New Member of the Family Tylenchidae Örley, 1880 with Detailed SEM Study on Two Known Species of the Genus Discotylenchus Siddiqi, 1980 (Nematoda; Tylenchidae) from Iran.

PubMed

Yaghoubi, Ali; Pourjam, Ebrahim; Álvarez-Ortega, Sergio; Liébanas, Gracia; Atighi, Mohammad Reza; Pedram, Majid

2016-09-01

Discopersicus iranicus n. gen., n. comb., previously described from Iran as a new species under the genus Discotylenchus , is illustrated using light microscope and scanning electron microscope (SEM) observations and further studied using molecular characters. SEM studies revealed the newly proposed genus has oblique amphidial apertures on the lateral sides of the lip region. SEM images are also provided for two species of Discotylenchus , namely D. discretus and D. brevicaudatus , as the first SEM study of the genus . These results confirmed longitudinal amphidial aperture type on lateral sides of the lip region in genus Discotylenchus , as noted by Siddiqi while erecting the genus with D. discretus as the type species . Molecular phylogenetic analyses using partial small subunit (SSU) and large subunit (LSU) rDNA sequences revealed the affinity of the genus Discopersicus n. gen. with members of the subfamily Boleodorinae, as supported by morphological characters (mainly, the oblique amphidial opening).

SEM probe of IC radiation sensitivity

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gauthier, M. K.; Stanley, A. G.

1979-01-01

Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) used to irradiate single integrated circuit (IC) subcomponent to test for radiation sensitivity can localize area of IC less than .03 by .03 mm for determination of exact location of radiation sensitive section.

Multimodal Hierarchical Imaging of Serial Sections for Finding Specific Cellular Targets within Large Volumes

PubMed Central

Wacker, Irene U.; Veith, Lisa; Spomer, Waldemar; Hofmann, Andreas; Thaler, Marlene; Hillmer, Stefan; Gengenbach, Ulrich; Schröder, Rasmus R.

2018-01-01

Targeting specific cells at ultrastructural resolution within a mixed cell population or a tissue can be achieved by hierarchical imaging using a combination of light and electron microscopy. Samples embedded in resin are sectioned into arrays consisting of ribbons of hundreds of ultrathin sections and deposited on pieces of silicon wafer or conductively coated coverslips. Arrays are imaged at low resolution using a digital consumer like smartphone camera or light microscope (LM) for a rapid large area overview, or a wide field fluorescence microscope (fluorescence light microscopy (FLM)) after labeling with fluorophores. After post-staining with heavy metals, arrays are imaged in a scanning electron microscope (SEM). Selection of targets is possible from 3D reconstructions generated by FLM or from 3D reconstructions made from the SEM image stacks at intermediate resolution if no fluorescent markers are available. For ultrastructural analysis, selected targets are finally recorded in the SEM at high-resolution (a few nanometer image pixels). A ribbon-handling tool that can be retrofitted to any ultramicrotome is demonstrated. It helps with array production and substrate removal from the sectioning knife boat. A software platform that allows automated imaging of arrays in the SEM is discussed. Compared to other methods generating large volume EM data, such as serial block-face SEM (SBF-SEM) or focused ion beam SEM (FIB-SEM), this approach has two major advantages: (1) The resin-embedded sample is conserved, albeit in a sliced-up version. It can be stained in different ways and imaged with different resolutions. (2) As the sections can be post-stained, it is not necessary to use samples strongly block-stained with heavy metals to introduce contrast for SEM imaging or render the tissue blocks conductive. This makes the method applicable to a wide variety of materials and biological questions. Particularly prefixed materials e.g., from biopsy banks and pathology labs, can directly be embedded and reconstructed in 3D. PMID:29630046

A comparative microleakage evaluation of three different base materials in Class I cavity in deciduous molars in sandwich technique using dye penetration and dentin surface interface by scanning electron microscope.

PubMed

Niranjan, Babita; Shashikiran, Nandihalli Devendrappa; Singla, Shilpy; Thakur, Ruchi; Dubey, Aashutosh; Maran, Satish

2016-01-01

A major objective in restorative dentistry is the control of marginal leakage, which may occur because of dimensional changes or lack of adaptation of restorative material to the cavity preparation. Numerous techniques have been advocated to overcome polymerization shrinkage in composite restorations. This study investigated microleakage of three different bases under composite resin in sandwich technique using dye penetration and dentin surface interface using scanning electron microscope (SEM). Sixty extracted deciduous molars were stored in distilled water and Class I cavities with a width of about one-fourth of intercuspal distance and a depth of 0.5-1 mm below the dentino-enamel junction was prepared without bevels. In Group 1 - glass ionomer cement (GIC); Group 2 - mineral trioxide aggregate (MTA); Group 3 - Biodentine™ was placed as a base under composite. Teeth were longitudinally sectioned in two halves, through the centers of the restoration, immersed in 2% methylene blue and microleakage was evaluated under stereomicroscope and surface interface between base and dentin was evaluated under SEM. Under the condition of in vitro study, less microleakage and less internal gaps were seen in Biodentine™ (0.00 ± 0.00 and 4.00 ± 1.59) group than MTA (0.00 ± 0.00 and 6.08 ± 1.82) and GIC (25.25 ± 6.57 and 14.73 ± 3.72, respectively) and showed very strong positive correlation between microleakage and internal gaps. Biodentine™ exhibits superior marginal sealing ability as well as marginal adaptation under composite resin as compared to MTA and GIC.

Correlative SEM SERS for quantitative analysis of dimer nanoparticles.

PubMed

Timmermans, F J; Lenferink, A T M; van Wolferen, H A G M; Otto, C

2016-11-14

A Raman microscope integrated with a scanning electron microscope was used to investigate plasmonic structures by correlative SEM-SERS analysis. The integrated Raman-SEM microscope combines high-resolution electron microscopy information with SERS signal enhancement from selected nanostructures with adsorbed Raman reporter molecules. Correlative analysis is performed for dimers of two gold nanospheres. Dimers were selected on the basis of SEM images from multi aggregate samples. The effect of the orientation of the dimer with respect to the polarization state of the laser light and the effect of the particle gap size on the Raman signal intensity is observed. Additionally, calculations are performed to simulate the electric near field enhancement. These simulations are based on the morphologies observed by electron microscopy. In this way the experiments are compared with the enhancement factor calculated with near field simulations and are subsequently used to quantify the SERS enhancement factor. Large differences between experimentally observed and calculated enhancement factors are regularly detected, a phenomenon caused by nanoscale differences between the real and 'simplified' simulated structures. Quantitative SERS experiments reveal the structure induced enhancement factor, ranging from ∼200 to ∼20 000, averaged over the full nanostructure surface. The results demonstrate correlative Raman-SEM microscopy for the quantitative analysis of plasmonic particles and structures, thus enabling a new analytical method in the field of SERS and plasmonics.

Evaluation of correlation between dissolution rates of loxoprofen tablets and their surface morphology observed by scanning electron microscope and atomic force microscope.

PubMed

Yoshikawa, Shinichi; Murata, Ryo; Shida, Shigenari; Uwai, Koji; Suzuki, Tsuneyoshi; Katsumata, Shunji; Takeshita, Mitsuhiro

2010-01-01

We observed the surface morphological structures of 60 mg tablets of Loxonin, Loxot, and Lobu using scanning electron microscope (SEM) and atomic force microscope (AFM) to evaluate the dissolution rates. We found a significant difference among the initial dissolution rates of the three kinds of loxoprofen sodium tablets. Petal forms of different sizes were commonly observed on the surface of the Loxonin and Loxot tablets in which loxoprofen sodium was confirmed by measuring the energy-dispersible X-ray (EDX) spectrum of NaKalpha using SEM. However, a petal form was not observed on the surface of the Lobu tablet, indicating differences among the drug production processes. Surface area and particle size of the principal ingredient in tablets are important factors for dissolution rate. The mean size of the smallest fine particles constituting each tablet was also determined with AFM. There was a correlation between the initial dissolution rate and the mean size of the smallest particles in each tablet. Visualizing tablet surface morphology using SEM and AFM provides information on the drug production processes and initial dissolution rate, and is associated with the time course of pharmacological activities after tablet administration.

Acquisition of a High Resolution Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscope for the Analysis of Returned Samples

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nittler, Larry R.

2003-01-01

This grant furnished funds to purchase a state-of-the-art scanning electron microscope (SEM) to support our analytical facilities for extraterrestrial samples. After evaluating several instruments, we purchased a JEOL 6500F thermal field emission SEM with the following analytical accessories: EDAX energy-dispersive x-ray analysis system with fully automated control of instrument and sample stage; EDAX LEXS wavelength-dispersive x-ray spectrometer for high sensitivity light-element analysis; EDAX/TSL electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) system with software for phase identification and crystal orientation mapping; Robinson backscatter electron detector; and an in situ micro-manipulator (Kleindiek). The total price was $550,000 (with $150,000 of the purchase supported by Carnegie institution matching funds). The microscope was delivered in October 2002, and most of the analytical accessories were installed by January 2003. With the exception of the wavelength spectrometer (which has been undergoing design changes) everything is working well and the SEM is in routine use in our laboratory.

Cross-sectional TEM specimen preparation for W/B{sub 4}C multilayer sample using FIB

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Mondal, Puspen, E-mail: puspen@rrcat.gov.in; Pradhan, P. C.; Tiwari, Pragya

2016-05-23

A recent emergence of a cross-beam scanning electron microscopy (SEM)/focused-ion-beam (FIB) system have given choice to fabricate cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy (TEM) specimen of thin film multilayer sample. A 300 layer pair thin film multilayer sample of W/B{sub 4}C was used to demonstrate the specimen lift-out technique in very short time as compared to conventional cross-sectional sample preparation technique. To get large area electron transparent sample, sample prepared by FIB is followed by Ar{sup +} ion polishing at 2 kV with grazing incident. The prepared cross-sectional sample was characterized by transmission electron microscope.

Interactive stereo electron microscopy enhanced with virtual reality

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bethel, E.Wes; Bastacky, S.Jacob; Schwartz, Kenneth S.

2001-12-17

An analytical system is presented that is used to take measurements of objects perceived in stereo image pairs obtained from a scanning electron microscope (SEM). Our system operates by presenting a single stereo view that contains stereo image data obtained from the SEM, along with geometric representations of two types of virtual measurement instruments, a ''protractor'' and a ''caliper''. The measurements obtained from this system are an integral part of a medical study evaluating surfactant, a liquid coating the inner surface of the lung which makes possible the process of breathing. Measurements of the curvature and contact angle of submicronmore » diameter droplets of a fluorocarbon deposited on the surface of airways are performed in order to determine surface tension of the air/liquid interface. This approach has been extended to a microscopic level from the techniques of traditional surface science by measuring submicrometer rather than millimeter diameter droplets, as well as the lengths and curvature of cilia responsible for movement of the surfactant, the airway's protective liquid blanket. An earlier implementation of this approach for taking angle measurements from objects perceived in stereo image pairs using a virtual protractor is extended in this paper to include distance measurements and to use a unified view model. The system is built around a unified view model that is derived from microscope-specific parameters, such as focal length, visible area and magnification. The unified view model ensures that the underlying view models and resultant binocular parallax cues are consistent between synthetic and acquired imagery. When the view models are consistent, it is possible to take measurements of features that are not constrained to lie within the projection plane. The system is first calibrated using non-clinical data of known size and resolution. Using the SEM, stereo image pairs of grids and spheres of known resolution are created to calibrate the measurement system. After calibration, the system is used to take distance and angle measurements of clinical specimens.« less

Electron-beam-induced potentials in semiconductors: calculation and measurement with an SEM/SPM hybrid system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thomas, Ch; Joachimsthaler, I.; Heiderhoff, R.; Balk, L. J.

2004-10-01

In this work electron-beam-induced potentials are analysed theoretically and experimentally for semiconductors. A theoretical model is developed to describe the surface potential distribution produced by an electron beam. The distribution of generated carriers is calculated using semiconductor equations. This distribution causes a local change in surface potential, which is derived with the help of quasi-Fermi energies. The potential distribution is simulated using the model developed and measured with a scanning probe microscope (SPM) built inside a scanning electron microscope (SEM), for different samples, for different beam excitations and for different cantilever voltages of SPM. In the end, some fields of application are shown where material properties can be determined using an SEM/SPM hybrid system.

New innovations for contrast enhancement in electron microscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mohan, A.

In this study two techniques for producing and improving contrast in Electron Microscopy are discussed. The first technique deals with the production of secondary contrast in a Variable Pressure SEM under poor vacuum conditions using the specimen current signal. A review of the prior work in this field shows that the presence of the gas ions in the microscope column results in the amplification of the specimen current signal which is enriched in secondary content. The focus of this study is to establish practical conditions for imaging samples in the microscope using specimen current with gas amplification. This is done by understanding the different variables in the microscope which affect the image formation process and then finding out optimum conditions for obtaining the best possible image, i.e., the image most enhanced in secondary contrast. A few 'real life' samples analyzed using this technique show that the gas amplified specimen current images contain secondary information and, in some cases, provide clear advantages to imaging with conventional secondary and backscattered detectors. The second technique dealing with the production of phase contrast in the TEM for extremely thin, electron transparent samples, is analyzed. A review of the literature regarding prior work in the field shows that, while the theoretical aspects of production of phase contrast in the TEM using a phase plate are well understood, there have been problems in practically implementing this in the microscope. One major assumption with most of the studies is that a fiber, partially coated with gold, results in the formation of point charges which is an essential requirement for symmetrically shifting the phase of the electron beam. The focus of this portion of the dissertation is to image the type of fields associated with such a phase plate using the technique of electron holography. It is found that there are two types of fields associated with a phase plate of this sort. One is a cylindrical field which extends along the length of the fiber while the other is a localized spherically symmetric field. A series of simulations show that the spherical field can produce phase contrast in the TEM and also improve the contrast transfer properties of the microscope.

Chemical characterization of surface precipitates in La0.7Sr0.3Co0.2Fe0.8O3-δ as cathode material for solid oxide fuel cells

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Yu, Yang; Nikiforov, Alexey Y.; Kaspar, Tiffany C.

2016-11-01

In this study, a strontium doped lanthanum cobalt ferrite thin film with 30% Sr on A-site, denoted as La0.7Sr0.3Co0.2Fe0.8O3-δ or LSCF-7328, was investigated before and after annealing at 800 °C under CO2 containing atmosphere for 9 hours. The formation of secondary phases on surface of post-annealed LSCF-7328 has been observed using atomic force microscope (AFM) and scanning electron microscope (SEM). The extent of Sr segregation at the film surface was observed using the synchrotron-based total reflection X-ray fluorescence (TXRF) technique. The bonding environment of the secondary phases formed on the surface was investigated by synchrotron-based hard X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (HAXPES).more » Transmission electron microscope (TEM) and related spectroscopy techniques were used for microstructural and quantitative elemental analyses of the secondary phases on surface. These studies revealed that the secondary phases on surface consisted of SrO covered with a capping layer of SrCO3. The formation of Co-rich phases has also been observed on the surface of post-annealed LSCF-7328.« less

KLASS: Kennedy Launch Academy Simulation System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Garner, Lesley C.

2007-01-01

Software provides access to many sophisticated scientific instrumentation (Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), a Light Microscope, a Scanning Probe Microscope (covering Scanning Tunneling, Atomic Force, and Magnetic Force microscopy), and an Energy Dispersive Spectrometer for the SEM). Flash animation videos explain how each of the instruments work. Videos on how they are used at NASA and the sample preparation. Measuring and labeling tools provided with each instrument. Hands on experience of controlling the virtual instrument to conduct investigations, much like the real scientists at NASA do. Very open architecture. Open source on SourceForge. Extensive use of XML Target audience is high school and entry-level college students. "Many beginning students never get closer to an electron microscope than the photos in their textbooks. But anyone can get a sense of what the instrument can do by downloading this simulator from NASA's Kennedy Space Center." Science Magazine, April 8th, 2005

Studies on the ultrastructure in Anacardium occidentale L. leaves from Amazon in northern Brazil by scanning microscopy.

PubMed

Ramos, Glenda Quaresma; Cotta, Eduardo Adriano; da Fonseca Filho, Henrique Duarte

2016-07-01

Leaves surfaces have various structures with specific functions and contribute to the relationship with the environment. On morphological studies are analyzed various parameters, ranging from macro scale through the micro scale to the nanometer scale, which contribute to the study of taxonomy, pharmacognosy, and ecology, among others. Functional structures found in leaves are responsible for the wide variety of surfaces and some behaviors are given in terms of cellular adaptation and the presence or absence of wax. This study reports the characterization of Anacardium occidentale L. leaf surface and the techniques used therein. A set of scanning electron microscope (SEM) and atomic force microscope (AFM) images performed on fresh leaf allowed observation of textured and heterogeneous profiles on both sides. SCANNING 38:329-335, 2016. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Surface wettability of silicon substrates enhanced by laser ablation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tseng, Shih-Feng; Hsiao, Wen-Tse; Chen, Ming-Fei; Huang, Kuo-Cheng; Hsiao, Sheng-Yi; Lin, Yung-Sheng; Chou, Chang-Pin

2010-11-01

Laser-ablation techniques have been widely applied for removing material from a solid surface using a laser-beam irradiating apparatus. This paper presents a surface-texturing technique to create rough patterns on a silicon substrate using a pulsed Nd:YAG laser system. The different degrees of microstructure and surface roughness were adjusted by the laser fluence and laser pulse duration. A scanning electron microscope (SEM) and a 3D confocal laser-scanning microscope are used to measure the surface micrograph and roughness of the patterns, respectively. The contact angle variations between droplets on the textured surface were measured using an FTA 188 video contact angle analyzer. The results indicate that increasing the values of laser fluence and laser pulse duration pushes more molten slag piled around these patterns to create micro-sized craters and leads to an increase in the crater height and surface roughness. A typical example of a droplet on a laser-textured surface shows that the droplet spreads very quickly and almost disappears within 0.5167 s, compared to a contact angle of 47.9° on an untextured surface. This processing technique can also be applied to fabricating Si solar panels to increase the absorption efficiency of light.

[In vitro study with techniques of imaging of the composition of urinary calculi].

PubMed

Tellez Martínez-Fornés, M; Burgos Revilla, F J; Sáez Garrido, J C; Soria Descalzo, J; Barbero González, J; Sánchez Corral, J; Minaya Minaya, A; Vallejo Herrador, J

1997-02-01

Pre-treatment knowledge of the lithiasic composition can be useful to design the most appropriate therapeutic scheme for each kind of stone. The relationship between the stone's densitometry information provided by the different imaging techniques, conventional radiology (RX), computerized axial tomography (CAT) and dual energy radiographic densitometry (DO) is analyzed, as well as the elemental composition determined by the microanalysis of fragments obtained post-lithotrity using a scanning electronic microscope (SEM) associated to X-ray dispersion energy (XDE). 60 stones, 12 for each pure composition selected (calcium oxalate mono and dihydro, phosphocarbonate, magnesium ammonium phosphate and uric acid), were studied with XR, CAT and DO and were later subjected to lithofragmentation in vitro. Fragments analysis was carried out post-lithotrity with SEM associated to XDE. The X-ray does not allow to establish the composition of some calculi. CAT quantifies the mineral contents of the oxalocalcic and infective calculi and differentiates the uric acid from the other compositions because the mean density values are under 500 Hounsfield Units. DO evaluates the lithiasic content in phosphocarbonate salts which are structurally similar to bone hydroxyapatite.

Scalable synthesis of aligned carbon nanotubes bundles using green natural precursor: neem oil

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kumar, Rajesh; Tiwari, Radhey Shyam; Srivastava, Onkar Nath

2011-12-01

Practical application of aligned carbon nanotubes (ACNTs) would have to be determined by a matter of its economical and large-scale preparation. In this study, neem oil (also named Margoaa oil, extracted from the seeds of the neem-- Azadirachta indica) was used as carbon source to fabricate the bundles of ACNTs. ACNTs have been synthesized by spray pyrolysis of neem oil and ferrocene mixture at 825°C. The major components of neem oil are hydrocarbon with less amount of oxygen, which provided the precursor species in spray pyrolysis growth of CNTs. The bundles of ACNTs have been grown directly inside the quartz tube. The as-grown ACNTs have been characterized through Raman spectroscopy, scanning and transmission electron microscopic (SEM/TEM) techniques. SEM images reveal that the bundles of ACNTs are densely packed and are of several microns in length. High-resolution TEM analysis reveals these nanotubes to be multi-walled CNTs. These multi-walled CNTs were found to have inner diameter between 15 and 30 nm. It was found that present technique gives high yield with high density of bundles of ACNTs.

Scalable synthesis of aligned carbon nanotubes bundles using green natural precursor: neem oil.

PubMed

Kumar, Rajesh; Tiwari, Radhey Shyam; Srivastava, Onkar Nath

2011-01-18

Practical application of aligned carbon nanotubes (ACNTs) would have to be determined by a matter of its economical and large-scale preparation. In this study, neem oil (also named Margoaa oil, extracted from the seeds of the neem--Azadirachta indica) was used as carbon source to fabricate the bundles of ACNTs. ACNTs have been synthesized by spray pyrolysis of neem oil and ferrocene mixture at 825°C. The major components of neem oil are hydrocarbon with less amount of oxygen, which provided the precursor species in spray pyrolysis growth of CNTs. The bundles of ACNTs have been grown directly inside the quartz tube. The as-grown ACNTs have been characterized through Raman spectroscopy, scanning and transmission electron microscopic (SEM/TEM) techniques. SEM images reveal that the bundles of ACNTs are densely packed and are of several microns in length. High-resolution TEM analysis reveals these nanotubes to be multi-walled CNTs. These multi-walled CNTs were found to have inner diameter between 15 and 30 nm. It was found that present technique gives high yield with high density of bundles of ACNTs.

The Microstructure and Physical Properties of Incinerated Paper-Cullet-Clay Ceramics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sahar, M. R.; Hamzah, K.; Rohani, M. S.; Samah, K. A.; Razi, M. M.

A series of ceramic based on (x) incinerated recycle paper - (80-x) cullet - 20 Kaolin clay (where 10×45 wt%) has successfully been made by slip casting technique followed by sintering at 1000 °C. The actual composition of ceramic is analyzed using Energy Dispersive of X-Ray (EDAX) while the phase existence is determined using X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) technique. Their microstructural morphology is observed under Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) and the physical properties are measured in term of their thermal shrinkage and hardness. It is found that the ceramic contain mostly of Silica and the phase is dominated by the existence of Quartz (SiO2), Wollastonite (CaSiO3) and Anorthite (Ca(Al2SiO8)). The SEM micrograph shows that the morphology is dominated by the existence of granular structure, and then become smoother as the cullet level is further increased. It is also found out that the thermal shrinkage is in the range 18% - 6.5% while the hardness is in the range of 152MPa- 1.463 GPa depending on composition.

Spin-coating: A new approach for improving dispersion of cellulose nanocrystals and mechanical properties of poly (lactic acid) composites.

PubMed

Shojaeiarani, Jamileh; Bajwa, Dilpreet S; Stark, Nicole M

2018-06-15

This study systematically evaluated the influence of masterbatch preparation techniques, solvent casting and spin-coating methods, on composite properties. Composites were manufactured by combining CNCs masterbatches and PLA resin using twin screw extruder followed by injection molding. Different microscopy techniques were used to investigate the dispersion of CNCs in masterbatches and composites. Thermal, thermomechanical, and mechanical properties of composites were evaluated. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images showed superior dispersion of CNCs in spin-coated masterbatches compared to solvent cast masterbatches. At lower CNCs concentrations, both SEM and optical microscope images confirmed more uniform CNCs dispersion in spin-coated composites than solvent cast samples. Degree of crystallinity of PLA exhibited a major enhancement by 147% and 380% in solvent cast and spin-coated composites, respectively. Spin-coated composites with lower CNCs concentration exhibited a noticeable improvement in mechanical properties. However, lower thermal characteristics in spin-coated composites were observed, which could be attributed to the residual solvents in masterbatches. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A new method of nanocrystalline nickel powder formation by magnetron sputtering on the water-soluble substrates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tučkutė, S.; Urbonavičius, M.; Lelis, M.; Maiorov, M.; Díaz Ordaz, J. R.; Milčius, D.

2018-01-01

Due to the accurate and relatively easy control magnetron sputtering is an attractive technique for the synthesis of metallic particles. This work describes a new method of nickel powder production by depositing nickel on the surface of sodium chloride particles which were used as the template and are soluble in water. Ni powder with flake-like structure was obtained after washing Ni coated salt particles in ultrasonic cleaner. Salt particles and nickel powder were characterized using scanning electron microscope (SEM), energy-dispersive x-ray spectrometer, XRD and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) techniques. SEM images showed that thickness of the received Ni particles varied in the nanoscale and depended on the magnetron deposition time but did not depend on the size of salt particles. On the other hand initial size of the salt particles was successfully employed a measure to control lateral dimensions of Ni powder. XRD and XPS analysis results revealed that Ni particles had metallic core and oxidized shell which was a cause of the slightly deteriorated magnetic properties.

A Miniaturized Variable Pressure Scanning Electron Microscope (MVP-SEM) for In-Situ Mars Surface Sample Analysis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Edmunson, J.; Gaskin, J. A.; Jerman, G. A.; Harvey, R. P.; Doloboff, I. J.; Neidholdt, E. L.

2016-01-01

The Miniaturized Variable Pressure Scanning Electron Microscope (MVP-SEM) project, funded by the NASA Planetary Instrument Concepts for the Advancement of Solar System Observations (PICASSO) Research Opportunities in Space and Earth Sciences (ROSES), will build upon previous miniaturized SEM designs and recent advancements in variable pressure SEM's to design and build a SEM to complete analyses of samples on the surface of Mars using the atmosphere as an imaging medium. This project is a collaboration between NASA Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC), the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), electron gun and optics manufacturer Applied Physics Technologies, and small vacuum system manufacturer Creare. Dr. Ralph Harvery and environmental SEM (ESEM) inventor Dr. Gerry Danilatos serve as advisors to the team. Variable pressure SEMs allow for fine (nm-scale) resolution imaging and micron-scale chemical study of materials without sample preparation (e.g., carbon or gold coating). Charging of a sample is reduced or eliminated by the gas surrounding the sample. It is this property of ESEMs that make them ideal for locations where sample preparation is not yet feasible, such as the surface of Mars. In addition, the lack of sample preparation needed here will simplify the sample acquisition process and allow caching of the samples for future complementary payload use.

On the Progress of Scanning Transmission Electron Microscopy (STEM) Imaging in a Scanning Electron Microscope.

PubMed

Sun, Cheng; Müller, Erich; Meffert, Matthias; Gerthsen, Dagmar

2018-04-01

Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) with low-energy electrons has been recognized as an important addition to the family of electron microscopies as it may avoid knock-on damage and increase the contrast of weakly scattering objects. Scanning electron microscopes (SEMs) are well suited for low-energy electron microscopy with maximum electron energies of 30 keV, but they are mainly used for topography imaging of bulk samples. Implementation of a scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) detector and a charge-coupled-device camera for the acquisition of on-axis transmission electron diffraction (TED) patterns, in combination with recent resolution improvements, make SEMs highly interesting for structure analysis of some electron-transparent specimens which are traditionally investigated by TEM. A new aspect is correlative SEM, STEM, and TED imaging from the same specimen region in a SEM which leads to a wealth of information. Simultaneous image acquisition gives information on surface topography, inner structure including crystal defects and qualitative material contrast. Lattice-fringe resolution is obtained in bright-field STEM imaging. The benefits of correlative SEM/STEM/TED imaging in a SEM are exemplified by structure analyses from representative sample classes such as nanoparticulates and bulk materials.

Effect of Heat Treatment Technique on the Low Temperature Impact Toughness of Steel EQ70 for Offshore Structure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tao, Su-Fen; Xia, Yun-Jin; Wang, Fu-Ming; Li, Jie; Fan, Ding-Dong

2017-09-01

Circle quenching and tempering (CQ&T), intercritical quenching and tempering (IQ&T) and regular quenching and tempering (Q&T) were used to study the influence of heat treatment techniques on the low temperature impact toughness of steel EQ70 for offshore structure. The steels with 2.10 wt. % Ni (steel A) and 1.47 wt. % Ni (steel B) were chosen to analyze the effect of Ni content on the low temperature impact toughness of steel EQ70 for offshore structure. The fracture morphologies were examined by using a scanning electron microscope (SEM, JSM-6480LV), and microstructures etched by 4 vol. % nitric acid were observed on a type 9XB-PC optical microscope. The results show that the impact toughness of steel A is higher than that of steel B at the same test temperature and heat treatment technique. For steel B, the energy absorbed is, in descending order, CQ&T, Q&T and IQ&T, while for steel A, that is CQ&T, IQ&T and Q&T. The effects of heat treatment on the low temperature impact toughness are different for steels A and B, the absorbed energy changes more obviously for steel A. The results can be significant references for actual heat treatment techniques in steel plant.

Focused ion beam (FIB)/scanning electron microscopy (SEM) in tissue structural research.

PubMed

Leser, Vladka; Milani, Marziale; Tatti, Francesco; Tkalec, Ziva Pipan; Strus, Jasna; Drobne, Damjana

2010-10-01

The focused ion beam (FIB) and scanning electron microscope (SEM) are commonly used in material sciences for imaging and analysis of materials. Over the last decade, the combined FIB/SEM system has proven to be also applicable in the life sciences. We have examined the potential of the focused ion beam/scanning electron microscope system for the investigation of biological tissues of the model organism Porcellio scaber (Crustacea: Isopoda). Tissue from digestive glands was prepared as for conventional SEM or as for transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The samples were transferred into FIB/SEM for FIB milling and an imaging operation. FIB-milled regions were secondary electron imaged, back-scattered electron imaged, or energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) analyzed. Our results demonstrated that FIB/SEM enables simultaneous investigation of sample gross morphology, cell surface characteristics, and subsurface structures. The same FIB-exposed regions were analyzed by EDX to provide basic compositional data. When samples were prepared as for TEM, the information obtained with FIB/SEM is comparable, though at limited magnification, to that obtained from TEM. A combination of imaging, micro-manipulation, and compositional analysis appears of particular interest in the investigation of epithelial tissues, which are subjected to various endogenous and exogenous conditions affecting their structure and function. The FIB/SEM is a promising tool for an overall examination of epithelial tissue under normal, stressed, or pathological conditions.

Mechanical and structural characterizations of gamma- and alpha-alumina nanofibers

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Vahtrus, Mikk; Umalas, Madis; Polyakov, Boris

2015-09-15

We investigate the applicability of alumina nanofibers as a potential reinforcement material in ceramic matrix compounds by comparing the mechanical properties of individual nanofibers before and after annealing at 1400 °C. Mechanical testing is performed inside a scanning electron microscope (SEM), which enables observation in real time of the deformation and fracture of the fibers under loading, thereby providing a close-up inspection of the freshly fractured area in vacuum. Improvement of both the Young's modulus and the breaking strength for annealed nanofibers is demonstrated. Mechanical testing is supplemented with the structural characterization of the fibers before and after annealing usingmore » SEM, transmission electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction methods. - Highlights: • Mechanical properties of individual alumina nanofibers were measured using in situ SEM cantilevered beam bending technique. • Improvement of mechanical properties of the alumina fibers after annealing at 1400 °C is demonstrated. • Formation of branched structures is demonstrated and their mechanical properties are studied. • XRD and electron microscopy were used for structural characterization of untreated and annealed nanofibers.« less

A large dataset of synthetic SEM images of powder materials and their ground truth 3D structures.

PubMed

DeCost, Brian L; Holm, Elizabeth A

2016-12-01

This data article presents a data set comprised of 2048 synthetic scanning electron microscope (SEM) images of powder materials and descriptions of the corresponding 3D structures that they represent. These images were created using open source rendering software, and the generating scripts are included with the data set. Eight particle size distributions are represented with 256 independent images from each. The particle size distributions are relatively similar to each other, so that the dataset offers a useful benchmark to assess the fidelity of image analysis techniques. The characteristics of the PSDs and the resulting images are described and analyzed in more detail in the research article "Characterizing powder materials using keypoint-based computer vision methods" (B.L. DeCost, E.A. Holm, 2016) [1]. These data are freely available in a Mendeley Data archive "A large dataset of synthetic SEM images of powder materials and their ground truth 3D structures" (B.L. DeCost, E.A. Holm, 2016) located at http://dx.doi.org/10.17632/tj4syyj9mr.1[2] for any academic, educational, or research purposes.

Zeiss ΣIGMA VP-FE-SEM User Guide

EPA Science Inventory

User guide for analyzing carbon based nanomaterials on a Zeiss Sigma microscope. The guide includes helpful steps for sample preparation and loading. Specific topics utilizing the scanning electron microscope are instrumentation startup and imagining. A variety of detectors in...

Surface debris of canal walls after post space preparation in endodontically treated teeth: a scanning electron microscopic study.

PubMed

Serafino, Cinzia; Gallina, Giuseppe; Cumbo, Enzo; Ferrari, Marco

2004-03-01

To evaluate surface cleanliness of root canal walls along post space after endodontic treatment using 2 different irrigant regimens, obturation techniques, and post space preparation for adhesive bonding. Forty teeth, divided into 4 groups, were instrumented, using Ni-Ti rotary files, irrigated with NaOCl or NaOCl+EDTA and obturated with cold lateral condensation (CLC) or warm vertical condensation (WVC) of gutta-percha. After post space preparation, etching, and washing procedure, canal walls were observed using a scanning electron microscope (SEM). Amount of debris, smear layer, sealer/gutta-percha remnants, and visibility of open tubules were rated. Higher amounts of rough debris, large sealer/gutta-percha remnants, thick smear layer, and no visibility of tubule orifices were recorded in all the groups at apical level of post space. At middle and coronal levels areas of clean dentin, alternating with areas covered by thin smear layer, smaller debris, gutta-percha remnants, and orifices of tubules partially or totally occluded by plugs were frequently observed. After endodontic treatment, obturation, and post space preparation SEM analysis of canal walls along post space shows large areas (covered by smear layer, debris, and sealer/gutta-percha remnants) not available for adhesive bonding and resin cementation of fiber posts.

Morphology and surface topography of the schistosome Bivitellobilharzia nairi from the Asian elephant (Elephas maximus maximus) in Sri Lanka.

PubMed

Rajapakse, R P V J; Iwagami, M; Wickramasinghe, S; Walker, S M; Agatsuma, T

2013-09-01

Bivitellobilharzia nairi was first recorded from an Indian elephant (Elephas maximus) in Berlin. Infections with this parasite have become increasingly important in E. maximus maximus populations in Sri Lanka. The present work is the first morphological description of this schistosome from Sri Lanka. A number of adult worms were recovered from a dead Asian elephant near the elephant orphanage, Pinnawala, in Sri Lanka. The observed clinical features of the infected elephant included emaciation, subventral oedema and anaemia. Post-mortem results indicated that the liver was enlarged and adult schistosomes were found in the blood vessels of the liver parenchyma. The total number of worms recovered from a portion of the liver was 129,870, which is an average of 22 worms per 100 g of liver. The present study uses both light microscopic and scanning electron microscope (SEM) techniques for the morphological and topographical characterization of this parasite and to permit comparison with other species of schistosomes. Morphologically, these worms correspond very well to the description of B. nairi by Dutt & Srivastava (1955). Moreover, it is clear that B. nairi is a distinctive species easily differentiated from other schistosomes. The SEM study of the tegument of male worms shows that the surface of B. nairi is smoother than in other schistosomes.

Microscale localization and isolation of light emitting imperfections in monocrystalline silicon solar cells

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gajdoš, Adam; Škvarenina, Lubomír.; Škarvada, Pavel; Macků, Robert

2017-12-01

An imperfections or defects may appear in fabricated monocrystalline solar cells. These microstructural imperfections could have impact on the parameters of whole solar cell. The research is divided into two parts, firstly, the detection and localization defects by using several techniques including current-voltage measurement, scanning probe microscopy (SPM), scanning electron microscope (SEM) and electroluminescence. Secondly, the defects isolation by a focused ion beam (FIB) milling and impact of a milling process on solar cells. The defect detection is realized by I-V measurement under reverse biased sample. For purpose of localization, advantage of the fact that defects or imperfections in silicon solar cells emit the visible and near infrared electroluminescence under reverse biased voltage is taken, and CCD camera measurement for macroscopic localization of these spots is applied. After rough macroscopic localization, microscopic localization by scanning probe microscopy combined with a photomultiplier (shadow mapping) is performed. Defect isolation is performed by a SEM equipped with the FIB instrument. FIB uses a beam of gallium ions which modifies crystal structure of a material and may affect parameters of solar cell. As a result, it is interesting that current in reverse biased sample with isolated defect is smaller approximately by 2 orders than current before isolation process.

A non-contact measurement technique at the micro scale

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ghosh, Santaneel

During their production and normal use, electronic packages experience large temperature excursions, leading to high thermo-mechanical stress gradients that cause fatigue failure of the solder joints. In order to prevent premature failure and prolong the fatigue life of solder joints, there is a pressing need for the characterization of the solder, especially lead-free solder, at the micro-level (joint size). The characterization and modeling of solder behavior at the appropriate scale is a major issue. However, direct measurement techniques are not applicable to characterize the deformation response of solder joints because of their micro scale dimensions. Therefore, a non-contact measurement technique utilizing a Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) in conjunction with Digital Image Correlation (DIC) has been developed. Validation was achieved by performing a four-point bending test in both an in-house optical system with DIC and inside the SEM. This non-contact measurement technique was then used to extract the stress-strain response of the solder. Mechanical tests were performed on solder joints that were created using the same type of solder balls used in the electronic industry and were representative of normal joint scales. The SEM-DIC technique has been proven to be applicable for the determining the stress-strain response of solder material at the micro-scale. This study resulted in a validated material characterization technique specifically designed for micro-scale material response. One of the main contributions of this study is that the method is a lot simpler and cheaper, yet highly effective, compared to the previous methods. This technique is also readily applicable to the measurement of the stress-strain response of any micro-scale specimen, such as other metals, polymers, etc. Also, the measured displacement field by obtained by DIC can be used as the base for calculating the strain field on the surface of a specimen.

Study of corrosion in archaeological gilded irons by Raman imaging and a coupled scanning electron microscope-Raman system.

PubMed

Veneranda, Marco; Costantini, Ilaria; de Vallejuelo, Silvia Fdez-Ortiz; Garcia, Laura; García, Iñaki; Castro, Kepa; Azkarate, Agustín; Madariaga, Juan Manuel

2016-12-13

In this work, analytical and chemical imaging tools have been applied to the study of a gilded spur found in the medieval necropolis of Erenozar (Bizkaia, Spain). As a first step, a lot of portable equipment has been used to study the object in a non-invasive way. The hand-held energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence equipment allowed us to characterize the artefact as a rare example of an iron matrix item decorated by means of a fire gilding technique. On the other hand, the use of a portable Raman system helped us to detect the main degradation compounds affecting the spur. Afterwards, further information was acquired in the laboratory by analysing detached fragments. The molecular images obtained using confocal Raman microscopy permitted us to characterize the stratigraphic succession of iron corrosions. Furthermore, the combined use of this technique with a scanning electron microscope (SEM) was achieved owing to the use of a structural and chemical analyser interface. In this way, the molecular characterization, enhanced by the magnification feature of the SEM, allowed us to identify several micrometric degradation compounds. Finally, the effectiveness of one of the most used desalination baths (NaOH) was evaluated by comparing its effects with those provided by a reference bath (MilliQ). The comparison proved that basic treatment avoided any side effects on the spur decorated by fire gilding, compensating for the lack of bibliographic documentation in this field.This article is part of the themed issue 'Raman spectroscopy in art and archaeology'. © 2016 The Author(s).

Study of corrosion in archaeological gilded irons by Raman imaging and a coupled scanning electron microscope-Raman system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Veneranda, Marco; Costantini, Ilaria; de Vallejuelo, Silvia Fdez-Ortiz; Garcia, Laura; García, Iñaki; Castro, Kepa; Azkarate, Agustín; Madariaga, Juan Manuel

2016-12-01

In this work, analytical and chemical imaging tools have been applied to the study of a gilded spur found in the medieval necropolis of Erenozar (Bizkaia, Spain). As a first step, a lot of portable equipment has been used to study the object in a non-invasive way. The hand-held energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence equipment allowed us to characterize the artefact as a rare example of an iron matrix item decorated by means of a fire gilding technique. On the other hand, the use of a portable Raman system helped us to detect the main degradation compounds affecting the spur. Afterwards, further information was acquired in the laboratory by analysing detached fragments. The molecular images obtained using confocal Raman microscopy permitted us to characterize the stratigraphic succession of iron corrosions. Furthermore, the combined use of this technique with a scanning electron microscope (SEM) was achieved owing to the use of a structural and chemical analyser interface. In this way, the molecular characterization, enhanced by the magnification feature of the SEM, allowed us to identify several micrometric degradation compounds. Finally, the effectiveness of one of the most used desalination baths (NaOH) was evaluated by comparing its effects with those provided by a reference bath (MilliQ). The comparison proved that basic treatment avoided any side effects on the spur decorated by fire gilding, compensating for the lack of bibliographic documentation in this field. This article is part of the themed issue "Raman spectroscopy in art and archaeology".

Helium Ion Microscopy (HIM) for the imaging of biological samples at sub-nanometer resolution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Joens, Matthew S.; Huynh, Chuong; Kasuboski, James M.; Ferranti, David; Sigal, Yury J.; Zeitvogel, Fabian; Obst, Martin; Burkhardt, Claus J.; Curran, Kevin P.; Chalasani, Sreekanth H.; Stern, Lewis A.; Goetze, Bernhard; Fitzpatrick, James A. J.

2013-12-01

Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) has long been the standard in imaging the sub-micrometer surface ultrastructure of both hard and soft materials. In the case of biological samples, it has provided great insights into their physical architecture. However, three of the fundamental challenges in the SEM imaging of soft materials are that of limited imaging resolution at high magnification, charging caused by the insulating properties of most biological samples and the loss of subtle surface features by heavy metal coating. These challenges have recently been overcome with the development of the Helium Ion Microscope (HIM), which boasts advances in charge reduction, minimized sample damage, high surface contrast without the need for metal coating, increased depth of field, and 5 angstrom imaging resolution. We demonstrate the advantages of HIM for imaging biological surfaces as well as compare and contrast the effects of sample preparation techniques and their consequences on sub-nanometer ultrastructure.

Helium Ion Microscopy (HIM) for the imaging of biological samples at sub-nanometer resolution.

PubMed

Joens, Matthew S; Huynh, Chuong; Kasuboski, James M; Ferranti, David; Sigal, Yury J; Zeitvogel, Fabian; Obst, Martin; Burkhardt, Claus J; Curran, Kevin P; Chalasani, Sreekanth H; Stern, Lewis A; Goetze, Bernhard; Fitzpatrick, James A J

2013-12-17

Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) has long been the standard in imaging the sub-micrometer surface ultrastructure of both hard and soft materials. In the case of biological samples, it has provided great insights into their physical architecture. However, three of the fundamental challenges in the SEM imaging of soft materials are that of limited imaging resolution at high magnification, charging caused by the insulating properties of most biological samples and the loss of subtle surface features by heavy metal coating. These challenges have recently been overcome with the development of the Helium Ion Microscope (HIM), which boasts advances in charge reduction, minimized sample damage, high surface contrast without the need for metal coating, increased depth of field, and 5 angstrom imaging resolution. We demonstrate the advantages of HIM for imaging biological surfaces as well as compare and contrast the effects of sample preparation techniques and their consequences on sub-nanometer ultrastructure.

Correlation of two-photon in vivo imaging and FIB/SEM microscopy

PubMed Central

Blazquez-Llorca, L; Hummel, E; Zimmerman, H; Zou, C; Burgold, S; Rietdorf, J; Herms, J

2015-01-01

Advances in the understanding of brain functions are closely linked to the technical developments in microscopy. In this study, we describe a correlative microscopy technique that offers a possibility of combining two-photon in vivo imaging with focus ion beam/scanning electron microscope (FIB/SEM) techniques. Long-term two-photon in vivo imaging allows the visualization of functional interactions within the brain of a living organism over the time, and therefore, is emerging as a new tool for studying the dynamics of neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease. However, light microscopy has important limitations in revealing alterations occurring at the synaptic level and when this is required, electron microscopy is mandatory. FIB/SEM microscopy is a novel tool for three-dimensional high-resolution reconstructions, since it acquires automated serial images at ultrastructural level. Using FIB/SEM imaging, we observed, at 10 nm isotropic resolution, the same dendrites that were imaged in vivo over 9 days. Thus, we analyzed their ultrastructure and monitored the dynamics of the neuropil around them. We found that stable spines (present during the 9 days of imaging) formed typical asymmetric contacts with axons, whereas transient spines (present only during one day of imaging) did not form a synaptic contact. Our data suggest that the morphological classification that was assigned to a dendritic spine according to the in vivo images did not fit with its ultrastructural morphology. The correlative technique described herein is likely to open opportunities for unravelling the earlier unrecognized complexity of the nervous system. Lay Description Neuroscience and the understanding of brain functions are closely linked to the technical advances in microscopy. In this study we performed a correlative microscopy technique that offers the possibility to combine 2 photon in vivo imaging and FIB/SEM microscopy. Long term 2 photon in vivo imaging allows the visualization of functional interactions within the brain of a living organism over the time, and therefore, is emerging as a new tool to study the dynamics of neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease. However, light microscopy has important limitations in revealing synapses that are the connections between neurons, and for this purpose, the electron microscopy is necessary. FIB/SEM microscopy is a novel tool for three-dimensional (3D) high resolution reconstructions since it acquires automated serial images at ultrastructural level. This correlative technique will open up new horizons and opportunities for unravelling the complexity of the nervous system. PMID:25786682

Electron Microscopist | Center for Cancer Research

Cancer.gov

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION The Cancer Research Technology Program (CRTP) develops and implements emerging technology, cancer biology expertise and research capabilities to accomplish NCI research objectives. The CRTP is an outward-facing, multi-disciplinary hub purposed to enable the external cancer research community and provides dedicated support to NCI’s intramural Center for Cancer Research (CCR). The dedicated units provide electron microscopy, protein characterization, protein expression, optical microscopy and genetics. These research efforts are an integral part of CCR at the Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research (FNLCR). CRTP scientists also work collaboratively with intramural NCI investigators to provide research technologies and expertise. KEY ROLES/RESPONSIBILITIES - THIS POSITION IS CONTINGENT UPON FUNDING APPROVAL The Electron Microscopist will: Operate ultramicrotomes (Leica) and other instrumentation related to the preparation of embedded samples for EM (TEM and SEM) Operate TEM microscopes, (specifically Hitachi, FEI T20 and FEI T12) as well as SEM microscopes (Hitachi); task will include loading samples, screening, and performing data collection for a variety of samples: from cells to proteins Manage maintenance for the TEM and SEM microscopes Provide technical advice to investigators on sample preparation and data collection

The PC9A Filter Screening Tool

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-02-01

conjunction with an optical microscope for identification of other important debris such as glass beads. The FST has now been installed at RAAF East...conservative screening limits need to be sent for detailed laboratory analysis. Laboratory analysis has traditionally involved a manual microscopic ...Electron Microscope with Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (SEM EDS) to determine the composition and likely source. The Engine Maintenance Manual

Contact detection for nanomanipulation in a scanning electron microscope.

PubMed

Ru, Changhai; To, Steve

2012-07-01

Nanomanipulation systems require accurate knowledge of the end-effector position in all three spatial coordinates, XYZ, for reliable manipulation of nanostructures. Although the images acquired by a scanning electron microscope (SEM) provide high resolution XY information, the lack of depth information in the Z-direction makes 3D nanomanipulation time-consuming. Existing approaches for contact detection of end-effectors inside SEM typically utilize fragile touch sensors that are difficult to integrate into a nanomanipulation system. This paper presents a method for determining the contact between an end-effector and a target surface during nanomanipulation inside SEM, purely based on the processing of SEM images. A depth-from-focus method is used in the fast approach of the end-effector to the substrate, followed by fine contact detection. Experimental results demonstrate that the contact detection approach is capable of achieving an accuracy of 21.5 nm at 50,000× magnification while inducing little end-effector damage. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Adaptive noise Wiener filter for scanning electron microscope imaging system.

PubMed

Sim, K S; Teh, V; Nia, M E

2016-01-01

Noise on scanning electron microscope (SEM) images is studied. Gaussian noise is the most common type of noise in SEM image. We developed a new noise reduction filter based on the Wiener filter. We compared the performance of this new filter namely adaptive noise Wiener (ANW) filter, with four common existing filters as well as average filter, median filter, Gaussian smoothing filter and the Wiener filter. Based on the experiments results the proposed new filter has better performance on different noise variance comparing to the other existing noise removal filters in the experiments. © Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Dynamic-scanning-electron-microscope study of friction and wear

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Brainard, W. A.; Buckley, D. H.

1974-01-01

A friction and wear apparatus was built into a real time scanning electron microscope (SEM). The apparatus and SEM comprise a system which provides the capability of performing dynamic friction and wear experiments in situ. When the system is used in conjunction with dispersive X-ray analysis, a wide range of information on the wearing process can be obtained. The type of wear and variation with speed, load, and time can be investigated. The source, size, and distribution of wear particles can be determined and metallic transferal observed. Some typical results obtained with aluminum, copper, and iron specimens are given.

Characterization, Microbial Community Structure, and Pathogen Occurrence in Urban Faucet Biofilms in South China

PubMed Central

Lin, Huirong; Zhang, Shuting; Gong, Song; Zhang, Shenghua; Yu, Xin

2015-01-01

The composition and microbial community structure of the drinking water system biofilms were investigated using microstructure analysis and 454 pyrosequencing technique in Xiamen city, southeast of China. SEM (scanning electron microscope) results showed different features of biofilm morphology in different fields of PVC pipe. Extracellular matrix material and sparse populations of bacteria (mainly rod-shaped and coccoid) were observed. CLSM (confocal laser scanning microscope) revealed different distributions of attached cells, extracellular proteins, α-polysaccharides, and β-polysaccharides. The biofilms had complex bacterial compositions. Differences in bacteria diversity and composition from different tap materials and ages were observed. Proteobacteria was the common and predominant group in all biofilms samples. Some potential pathogens (Legionellales, Enterobacteriales, Chromatiales, and Pseudomonadales) and corrosive microorganisms were also found in the biofilms. This study provides the information of characterization and visualization of the drinking water biofilms matrix, as well as the microbial community structure and opportunistic pathogens occurrence. PMID:26273617

In vitro assessments on bacterial adhesion and corrosion performance of TiN coating on Ti6Al4V titanium alloy synthesized by multi-arc ion plating

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lin, Naiming; Huang, Xiaobo; Zhang, Xiangyu; Fan, Ailan; Qin, Lin; Tang, Bin

2012-07-01

TiN coating was synthesized on Ti6Al4V titanium alloy surface by multi-arc ion plating (MIP) technique. Surface morphology, cross sectional microstructure, elemental distributions and phase compositions of the obtained coating were analyzed by means of scanning electron microscope (SEM), optical microscope (OM), glow discharge optical emission spectroscope (GDOES) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). Bacterial adhesion and corrosion performance of Ti6Al4V and the TiN coating were assessed via in vitro bacterial adhesion tests and corrosion experiments, respectively. The results indicated that continuous and compact coating which was built up by pure TiN with a typical columnar crystal structure has reached a thickness of 1.5 μm. This TiN coating could significantly reduce the bacterial adhesion and enhance the corrosion resistance of Ti6Al4V substrate.

Structural and magnetic properties of chromium doped zinc ferrite

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sebastian, Rintu Mary; Thankachan, Smitha; Xavier, Sheena

2014-01-28

Zinc chromium ferrites with chemical formula ZnCr{sub x}Fe{sub 2−x}O{sub 4} (x = 0.0, 0.2, 0.4, 0.6, 0.8, 1.0) were prepared by Sol - Gel technique. The structural as well as magnetic properties of the synthesized samples have been studied and reported here. The structural characterizations of the samples were analyzed by using X – Ray Diffraction (XRD), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), and Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM). The single phase spinel cubic structure of all the prepared samples was tested by XRD and FTIR. The particle size was observed to decrease from 18.636 nm to 6.125more » nm by chromium doping and induced a tensile strain in all the zinc chromium mixed ferrites. The magnetic properties of few samples (x = 0.0, 0.4, 1.0) were investigated using Vibrating Sample Magnetometer (VSM)« less

Microstructural and mechanical properties on friction welding of dissimilar metals used in motor vehicles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jesudoss Hynes, N. Rajesh; Shenbaga Velu, P.

2018-02-01

In the last two decades, major car manufacturing companies are exploring the possibilities of joining magnesium with aluminium, via friction welding technique for many crucial automotive applications. Our primary objective, is to carry out an experimental investigation in order to study the behaviour of dissimilar joints. The microscopic structure at the welded joint interface was analysed using an optical microscopy and scanning electron microscope. It was found that, by increasing the value of friction time, the value of the tensile strength increases and the result of tensile strength is found to be 120 MPa at a friction time of 10 s. Micro hardness was found to be higher at the interface of the weldment due to the development of a brittle intermetallic compound. Micro structural studies using SEM reveals, distinct zones such as an unaffected parent metal zone, the heat affected zone, a thermo-mechanically affected zone and a fully deformed plasticised zone.

Exfoliation of graphene sheets via high energy wet milling of graphite in 2-ethylhexanol and kerosene.

PubMed

Al-Sherbini, Al-Sayed; Bakr, Mona; Ghoneim, Iman; Saad, Mohamed

2017-05-01

Graphene sheets have been exfoliated from bulk graphite using high energy wet milling in two different solvents that were 2-ethylhexanol and kerosene. The milling process was performed for 60 h using a planetary ball mill. Morphological characteristics were investigated using scanning electron microscope (SEM) and transmission electron microscope (TEM). On the other hand, the structural characterization was performed using X-ray diffraction technique (XRD) and Raman spectrometry. The exfoliated graphene sheets have represented good morphological and structural characteristics with a valuable amount of defects and a good graphitic structure. The graphene sheets exfoliated in the presence of 2-ethylhexanol have represented many layers, large crystal size and low level of defects, while the graphene sheets exfoliated in the presence of kerosene have represented fewer number of layers, smaller crystal size and higher level of defects.

L-Phenylalanine functionalized silver nanoparticles: Photocatalytic and nonlinear optical applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nidya, M.; Umadevi, M.; Sankar, Pranitha; Philip, Reji; Rajkumar, Beulah J. M.

2015-04-01

An extensive study on the behavior of L-Phenylalanine capped silver nanoparticles (Phe-Ag NPs) in the aqueous phase and in a sol-gel thin film showed different UV/Vis, Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM), Dynamic Light Scattering and Zeta potential profiles. Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) images of the samples in the sol gel film showed Ag embedded in the SiO2 matrix. Surface Enhanced Raman Spectra (SERS) confirmed that both in the aqueous media and in the sol gel film, the attachment of Phe to the Ag NP surface was through the benzene ring, with the sol-gel film showing a better enhancement. Photocatalytic degradation of crystal violet was measured spectrophotometrically using Phe-Ag NPs as a nanocatalyst under visible light illumination. Intensity-dependent nonlinear optical absorption of Phe-Ag measured using the open aperture Z-scan technique revealed that the material is an efficient optical limiter with potential applications.

Investigation on microstructure and mechanical properties on pulsed current gas tungsten arc welded super alloy 617

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mageshkumar, K.; Kuppan, P.; Arivazhagan, N.

2017-11-01

The present research work investigates the metallurgical and mechanical properties of weld joint fabricated by alloy 617 by pulsed current gas tungsten arc welding (PCGTAW) technique. Welding was done by ERNiCrCoMo-1 filler wire. Optical and Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) revealed the fine equiaxed dendritic in the fusion zone. Electron Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS) demonstrates the presence of Mo-rich secondary phases in the grain boundary regions. Tensile test shows improved mechanical properties compared to the continuous current mode. Bend test didn’t indicate the presence of defects in the weldments.

Measurement of the minority carrier diffusion length and edge surface-recombination velocity in InP

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bailey, Sheila G.; Hakimzadeh, Roshanak

1993-01-01

A scanning electron microscope (SEM) was used to measure the electron (minority carrier) diffusion length (L(sub n)) and the edge surface-recombination velocity (V(sub s)) in zinc-doped Czochralski-grown InP wafers. Electron-beam-induced current (EBIC) profiles were obtained in specimens containing a Schottky barrier perpendicular to the scanned (edge) surface. An independent technique was used to measure V(sub s), and these values were used in a theoretical expression for normalized EBIC. A fit of the experimental data with this expression enabled us to determine L(sub n).

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Cooke, Gary A.; Pestovich, John A.; Huber, Heinz J.

This report presents the results for solid phase characterization (SPC) of solid samples removed from tank 241-C-108 (C-108) on August 12-13,2012, using the off-riser sampler. Samples were received at the 222-S Laboratory on August 13 and were described and photographed. The SPC analyses that were performed include scanning electron microscopy (SEM) using the ASPEX(R)l scanning electron microscope, X-ray diffraction (XRD) using the Rigaku(R) 2 MiniFlex X-ray diffractometer, and polarized light microscopy (PLM) using the Nikon(R) 3 Eclipse Pol optical microscope. The SEM is equipped with an energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer (EDS) to provide chemical information. Gary A. Cooke conducted themore » SEM analysis, John A. Pestovich performed the XRD analysis, and Dr. Heinz J. Huber performed the PLM examination. The results of these analyses are presented here.« less

Microcellular nanocomposite injection molding process

Treesearch

Mingjun Yuan; Lih-Sheng Turng; Rick Spindler; Daniel Caulfield; Chris Hunt

2003-01-01

This study aims to explore the processing benefits and property improvements of combining nanocomposites with microcellular injection molding. The molded parts produced based on the Design of Experiments (DOE) matrices were subjected to tensile testing, impact testing, and Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM), Dynamic Mechanical...

Atmospheric scanning electron microscope for correlative microscopy.

PubMed

Morrison, Ian E G; Dennison, Clare L; Nishiyama, Hidetoshi; Suga, Mitsuo; Sato, Chikara; Yarwood, Andrew; O'Toole, Peter J

2012-01-01

The JEOL ClairScope is the first truly correlative scanning electron and optical microscope. An inverted scanning electron microscope (SEM) column allows electron images of wet samples to be obtained in ambient conditions in a biological culture dish, via a silicon nitride film window in the base. A standard inverted optical microscope positioned above the dish holder can be used to take reflected light and epifluorescence images of the same sample, under atmospheric conditions that permit biochemical modifications. For SEM, the open dish allows successive staining operations to be performed without moving the holder. The standard optical color camera used for fluorescence imaging can be exchanged for a high-sensitivity monochrome camera to detect low-intensity fluorescence signals, and also cathodoluminescence emission from nanophosphor particles. If these particles are applied to the sample at a suitable density, they can greatly assist the task of perfecting the correlation between the optical and electron images. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Multi-environment Nanocalorimeter with Electrical Contacts for Use in the Scanning Electron Microscope.

PubMed

Yi, Feng; Stevanovic, Ana; Osborn, William A; Kolmakov, A; LaVan, David A

2017-11-01

We have developed a versatile nanocalorimeter sensor which allows imaging and electrical measurements of samples under different gaseous environments using the scanning electron microscope (SEM) and can simultaneously measure the sample temperature and associated heat of reaction. This new sensor consists of four independent heating/sensing elements for nanocalorimetry and eight electrodes for electrical measurements, all mounted on a 50 nm thick, 250 μm × 250 μm suspended silicon nitride membrane. This membrane is highly electron transparent and mechanically robust enabling in situ SEM observation under realistic temperatures, environmental conditions and pressures up to one atmosphere. To demonstrate this new capability, we report here on 1) in situ SEM-nanocalorimetry study of melting and solidification of polyethylene oxide, 2) the temperature dependence of conductivity of a nanowire; 3) the electron beam induced current measurements (EBID) of a nanowire in vacuum and air. Furthermore, the sensor is easily adaptable to operate in liquid environment and is compatible with most existing SEM. This versatile platform couples nanocalorimetry with in situ SEM imaging under various gaseous and liquid environments and is applicable to materials research, nanotechnology, energy, catalysis and biomedical applications.

Marginal adaptation of composite resins under two adhesive techniques.

PubMed

Dačić, Stefan; Veselinović, Aleksandar M; Mitić, Aleksandar; Nikolić, Marija; Cenić, Milica; Dačić-Simonović, Dragica

2016-11-01

In the present research, different adhesive techniques were used to set up fillings with composite resins. After the application of etch and rinse or self etch adhesive technique, marginal adaptation of composite fillings was estimated by the length of margins without gaps, and by the microretention of resin in enamel and dentin. The study material consisted of 40 extracted teeth. Twenty Class V cavities were treated with 35% phosphorous acid and restored after rinsing by Adper Single Bond 2 and Filtek Ultimate-ASB/FU 3M ESPE composite system. The remaining 20 cavities were restored by Adper Easy One-AEO/FU 3M ESPE composite system. Marginal adaptation of composite fillings was examined using a scanning electron microscope (SEM). The etch and rinse adhesive technique showed a significantly higher percentage of margin length without gaps (in enamel: 92.5%, in dentin: 57.3%), compared with the self-etch technique with lower percentage of margin length without gaps, in enamel 70.4% (p < .001), and in dentin-22.6% (p < .05). In the first technique, microretention was composed of adhesive and hybrid layers as well as resin tugs in interprismatic spaces of enamel, while the dentin microretention was composed of adhesive and hybrid layers with resin tugs in dentin canals. In the second technique, resin tugs were rarely seen and a microgap was dominant along the border of restoration margins. The SEM analysis showed a better marginal adaptation of composite resin to enamel and dentin with better microretention when the etch and rinse adhesive procedure was applied. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Wear at the titanium-titanium and the titanium-zirconia implant-abutment interface: a comparative in vitro study.

PubMed

Stimmelmayr, Michael; Edelhoff, Daniel; Güth, Jan-Frederik; Erdelt, Kurt; Happe, Arndt; Beuer, Florian

2012-12-01

The purpose of this study was to determine and measure the wear of the interface between titanium implants and one-piece zirconia abutments in comparison to titanium abutments. 6 implants were secured into epoxy resin blocks. The implant interface of these implants and 6 corresponding abutments (group Zr: three one-piece zirconia abutments; group Ti: three titanium abutments) were examined by a microscope and scanning electron micrograph (SEM). Also the implants and the abutments were scanned by 3D-Micro Computer Tomography (CT). The abutments were connected to the implants and cyclically loaded with 1,200,000 cycles at 100N in a two-axis fatigue testing machine. Afterwards, all specimens were unscrewed and the implants and abutments again were scanned by microscope, SEM and CT. The microscope and SEM images were compared, the CT data were superimposed and the wear was calculated by inspection software. The statistical analysis was carried out with an unpaired t-test. Abutment fracture or screw loosening was not observed during cyclical loading. Comparing the microscope and SEM images more wear was observed on the implants connected to zirconia abutments. The maximum wear on the implant shoulder calculated by the inspection software was 10.2μm for group Zr, and 0.7μm for group Ti. The influence of the abutment material on the measured wear was statistically significant (p≤0.001; Levene-test). Titanium implants showed higher wear at the implant interface following cyclic loading when connected to one-piece zirconia implant abutments compared to titanium abutments. The clinical relevance is not clear; hence damage of the internal implant connection could result in prosthetic failures up to the need of implant removal. Copyright © 2012 Academy of Dental Materials. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Comparative study viruses with computer-aided phase microscope AIRYSCAN

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tychinsky, Vladimir P.; Koufal, Georgy E.; Perevedentseva, Elena V.; Vyshenskaia, Tatiana V.

1996-12-01

Traditionally viruses are studied with scanning electron microscopy (SEM) after complicated procedure of sample preparation without the possibility to study it under natural conditions. We obtained images of viruses (Vaccinia virus, Rotavirus) and rickettsias (Rickettsia provazekii, Coxiella burnetti) in native state with computer-aided phase microscope airyscan -- the interference microscope of Linnik layout with phase modulation of the reference wave with dissector image tube as coordinate-sensitive photodetector and computer processing of phase image. A light source was the He-Ne laser. The main result is coincidence of dimensions and shape of phase images with available information concerning their morphology obtained with SEM and other methods. The fine structure of surface and nuclei is observed. This method may be applied for virus recognition and express identification, investigation of virus structure and the analysis of cell-virus interaction.

Microstructures and electrochemical behaviors of the friction stir welding dissimilar weld.

PubMed

Shen, Changbin; Zhang, Jiayan; Ge, Jiping

2011-06-01

By using optical microscope, the microstructures of 5083/6082 friction stir welding (FSW) weld and parent materials were analyzed. Meanwhile, at ambient temperature and in 0.2 mol/L NaHS03 and 0.6 mol/L NaCl solutionby gravimetric test, potentiodynamic polarization curve test, electrochemical impedance spectra (EIS) and scanning electron microscope (SEM) observation, the electrochemical behavior of 5083/6082 friction stir welding weld and parent materials were comparatively investigated by gravimetric test, potentiodynamic polarization curve test, electrochemical impedance spectra (EIS) and scanning electron microscope (SEM) observation. The results indicated that at given processing parameters, the anti-corrosion property of the dissimilar weld was superior to those of the 5083 and 6082 parent materials. Copyright © 2011 The Research Centre for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Selection of bioindicators to detect lead pollution in Ebro delta microbial mats, using high-resolution microscopic techniques.

PubMed

Maldonado, J; Solé, A; Puyen, Z M; Esteve, I

2011-07-01

Lead (Pb) is a metal that is non-essential to any metabolic process and, moreover, highly deleterious to life. In microbial mats - benthic stratified ecosystems - located in coastal areas, phototrophic microorganisms (algae and oxygenic phototrophic bacteria) are the primary producers and they are exposed to pollution by metals. In this paper we describe the search for bioindicators among phototrophic populations of Ebro delta microbial mats, using high-resolution microscopic techniques that we have optimized in previous studies. Confocal laser scanning microscopy coupled to a spectrofluorometric detector (CLSM-λscan) to determine in vivo sensitivity of different cyanobacteria to lead, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), both coupled to energy dispersive X-ray microanalysis (EDX), to determine the extra- and intracellular sequestration of this metal in cells, were the techniques used for this purpose. Oscillatoria sp. PCC 7515, Chroococcus sp. PCC 9106 and Spirulina sp. PCC 6313 tested in this paper could be considered bioindicators for lead pollution, because all of these microorganisms are indigenous, have high tolerance to high concentrations of lead and are able to accumulate this metal externally in extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) and intracellularly in polyphosphate (PP) inclusions. Experiments made with microcosms demonstrated that Phormidium-like and Lyngbya-like organisms selected themselves at the highest concentrations of lead assayed. In the present study it is shown that all cyanobacteria studied (both in culture and in microcosms) present PP inclusions in their cytoplasm and that these increase in number in lead polluted cultures and microcosms. We believe that the application of these microscopic techniques open up broad prospects for future studies of metal ecotoxicity. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Nanoassembly of nanostructures by cutting, bending and soldering of carbon nanotubes with electron beam.

PubMed

Liu, Pou; Kantola, Kalle; Fukuda, Toshio; Arai, Fumihito

2009-05-01

We report that a series of in situ nanofabrication techniques of nanostructures, including cutting, bending and soldering of carbon nanotubes (CNTs), inside a field emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM) used for nanoassembly of nanostructures. The CNTs can be cut with electron beam assisted with oxygen gas. The cutting was developed for the bending of CNT, if some conditions of the cutting technique are changed. These include the increase of the acceleration voltage and/or setting the oxygen gas nozzle farther from the sample, and/or reducing the irradiation time. Using the proposed bending method angles larger than 90 degrees can be formed and the location of the kink can be set accurately. It is also shown that tungsten can be deposited on a substrate by the electron-beam-induced deposition, if the oxygen of the proposed cutting technique is replaced by W(CO)6. In this paper, these three nanofabrication methods were employed in the creation of a two dimensional (2D) nanostructure, the letters N and U, and a three dimensional (3D) nanostructure, the letter N. The 2D letters were constructed from 6 CNTs assembled on a substrate while the 3D letter N was bended from a single CNT and fixed to stand on a substrate. Based on the high performance of the proposed techniques, it is suggested that the cutting, bending, and soldering techniques inside SEM will become widely utilized in the fabrication and assembly of nanodevices and in the characterization of nanomaterials.

Antimicrobial activity of TiO2 nanostructures synthesized by hydrothermal method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Surah, Shivani Singh; Sirohi, Siddharth; Nain, Ratyakshi; Kumar, Gulshan

2018-02-01

Titania nanostructures were synthesized by hydrothermal method. Titanium tetrachloride was used as a precursor, sodium hydroxide was used as a solvent. Effect on their morphology by variation of parameters like temperature (110°C, 160°C and 180°C), time (15h,18h, 20h, 22h, 24h) and concentration of the solvent NaOH (5M, 8M, 10 M, 12M) were studied. The obtained TiO2 nanostructures were washed with deionized water. The structure, size, morphology of the prepared nanostructures were analyzed by SEM (scanning electron microscope), DLS (dynamic light scattering), TEM (transmission electron microscope). SEM and TEM revealed the shape, size of the nanostructures. DLS reported the particle size of prepared TiO2 nanoparticles. Polymeric films based on polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) doped with titanium dioxide nanostructures at different weight percentage (0.5, 0.75, 1,2 TiO2/PVA) were prepared using the ultra sonication and solution casting techniques. The appropriate weight of PVA was dissolved in deionized water. The mixture was magnetically stirred continuously and heated (80°C) for 4 hours, until the solution mixture becomes homogenous. Different weight percentage of TiO2 nanostructures were added to deionized water and sonicated for 3 hours to prevent the nanostructures agglomeration. The mixture was mixed with the PVA solution and magnetically stirred for 1 hour to get good dispersion without agglomeration. The final PVA /TiO2 mixture were casted in glass Petridish, were left until dry. Ultrasonication was used as a major factor for preparation in order to get better dispersion. Nanocomposite films were characterized using SEM and were found to exhibit antimicrobial properties when treated with E.coli and pseudomonas.

Preparation and Characterization of Carbon Filaments

DTIC Science & Technology

1991-04-01

Kawasumi, "Whiskerization of Carbon Beads by Vapor Phase Growth of Carbon Fibers to Obtain Sea Urchin -Type Particles", Carbon 21, 89 (1983). 5) R.T.K...multiple fiber microstructure are possible on what appears to be a single fiber along the length of the fiber. However, without SEM micrographs, it is...180 minutes. Scanning Electron Microscopic ( SEM ) observations were cared out using P Philips series 505 SEM system, typically operating at an

Hybrid nanocomposite coatings from metal (Mg alloy)-drug deposited onto medical implant by laser adaptive ablation deposition technique

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Serbezov, Valery; Sotirov, Sotir; Serbezov, Svetlin

2013-03-01

Drug-eluting medical implants are active implants whose function is to create healing effects. The current requirements for active medical coatings for Drug-eluting medical implants are to be biocompatible, biodegradable, polymer free, mechanically stable and enable a controlled release of one or more drugs and defined degradation. This brings hybrid nanocomposite coatings into focus especially in the field of cardiovascular implants. We studied the properties of Metal (Mg alloy)-Paclitaxel coatings obtained by novel Laser Adaptive Ablation Deposition Technique (LAAD) onto cardiovascular stents from 316 LVM stainless steel material. The morphology and topology of coatings were studied by Bright field / Fluorescence optical microscope and Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM). Comparative measurements were made of the morphology and topology of hybrid, polymer free nanocomposite coatings deposited by LAAD and polymerdrug coatings deposited by classical spray technique. The coatings obtained by LAAD are homogeneous without damages and cracks. Metal nanoparticles with sizes from 40 nm to 230 nm were obtained in drug matrixes. Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (EDX) was used for identification of metal nanoparticles presence in hybrid nanocomposites coatings. The new technology opens up possibilities to obtain new hybrid nanocomposite coatings with applications in medicine, pharmacy and biochemistry.

Transmission Kikuchi diffraction and transmission electron forescatter imaging of electropolished and FIB manufactured TEM specimens

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zieliński, W., E-mail: wiziel@inmat.pw.edu.pl; Płociński, T.; Kurzydłowski, K.J.

2015-06-15

We present a study of the efficiency of the utility of scanning electron microscope (SEM)-based transmission methods for characterizing grain structure in thinned bulk metals. Foils of type 316 stainless steel were prepared by two methods commonly used for transmission electron microscopy — double-jet electropolishing and focused ion beam milling. A customized holder allowed positioning of the foils in a configuration appropriate for both transmission electron forward scatter diffraction, and for transmission imaging by the use of a forescatter detector with two diodes. We found that both crystallographic orientation maps and dark-field transmitted images could be obtained for specimens preparedmore » by either method. However, for both methods, preparation-induced artifacts may affect the quality or accuracy of transmission SEM data, especially those acquired by the use of transmission Kikuchi diffraction. Generally, the quality of orientation data was better for specimens prepared by electropolishing, due to the absence of ion-induced damage. - Highlights: • The transmission imaging and diffraction techniques are emerging in scanning electron microscopy (SEM) as promising new field of materials characterization. • The manuscript titled: “Transmission Kikuchi Diffraction and Transmission Electron Forescatter Imaging of Electropolished and FIB Manufactured TEM Specimens” documents how different specimen thinning procedures can effect efficiency of transmission Kikuchi diffraction and transmission electron forescatter imaging. • The abilities to make precision crystallographic orientation maps and dark-field images in transmission was studied on electropolished versus focus ion beam manufactured TEM specimens. • Depending on the need, electropolished and focused ion beam technique may produce suitable specimens for transmission imaging and diffraction in SEM.« less

Investigation of quartz grain surface textures by atomic force microscopy for forensic analysis.

PubMed

Konopinski, D I; Hudziak, S; Morgan, R M; Bull, P A; Kenyon, A J

2012-11-30

This paper presents a study of quartz sand grain surface textures using atomic force microscopy (AFM) to image the surface. Until now scanning electron microscopy (SEM) has provided the primary technique used in the forensic surface texture analysis of quartz sand grains as a means of establishing the provenance of the grains for forensic reconstructions. The ability to independently corroborate the grain type classifications is desirable and provides additional weight to the findings of SEM analysis of the textures of quartz grains identified in forensic soil/sediment samples. AFM offers a quantitative means of analysis that complements SEM examination, and is a non-destructive technique that requires no sample preparation prior to scanning. It therefore has great potential to be used for forensic analysis where sample preservation is highly valuable. By taking quantitative topography scans, it is possible to produce 3D representations of microscopic surface textures and diagnostic features for examination. Furthermore, various empirical measures can be obtained from analysing the topography scans, including arithmetic average roughness, root-mean-square surface roughness, skewness, kurtosis, and multiple gaussian fits to height distributions. These empirical measures, combined with qualitative examination of the surfaces can help to discriminate between grain types and provide independent analysis that can corroborate the morphological grain typing based on the surface textures assigned using SEM. Furthermore, the findings from this study also demonstrate that quartz sand grain surfaces exhibit a statistically self-similar fractal nature that remains unchanged across scales. This indicates the potential for a further quantitative measure that could be utilised in the discrimination of quartz grains based on their provenance for forensic investigations. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Study of curcumin on microvasculature characteristic in diabetic rat's liver as revealed by vascular corrosion cast/scanning electron microscope (SEM) technique.

PubMed

Khimmaktong, Wipapan; Petpiboolthai, Hattaya; Panyarachun, Busaba; Anupunpisit, Vipavee

2012-05-01

To investigate the effect of curcumin on the structural change ofmicrovasculature in STZ-induced diabetic rat' liver. Diabetic rats were induced by streptozotocin (60 mg/kg BW). Male rats were divided into thre groups, control (C), diabetic (DM) and diabetic rats treated with curcumin (DMC) (200 mg/kg BW). After 8 weeks o experiments, blood vessels of rat's liver were studied under conventional light microscope (LM) and vascular corrosion cas technique with scanning electron microscope (SEM). LM observation demonstrated that there were pathology and destruction of liver tissues and microvasculature in diabetic animals. The sinusoids around central veins were dilated and filled with red blood cells. There was an accumulation of lipid droplets in the cytoplasm of hepatocytes and hepatocyte nuclei showed pathological sign of pyknosis. Moreover, the inflammation change of liver tissues revealed the infiltration of lymphocytes and increasing of collagen deposition in the area of portal triad. In curcumin-treated rats, the distinguished recovery of liver tissues showed regained normal pattern of central veins, sinusoids, hepatocytes and portal triad, when compared with liver tissues of control group. By using vascular corrosion casting with SEM, the liver blood vessels of DM group revealed higher and expanded sizes, compared with control group; proximal parts of portal veins (C = 577.75 +/- 126.23, DM = 892 +/- 35.79, DMC = 469.5 +/- 8553 microm), distal parts of portal veins (C = 76.72 +/- 1.48, DM = 200 +/- 31.05, DMC = 76.38 +/- 2.98 microm) and venules (C = 27.03 +/- 0.55, DM = 45.15 +/- 5.03, DMC = 28.38 +/- 3.67 microm) and corresponding to increased blood volumes compared with control group; proximal parts of portal veins (C = 20.8 +/- 1.28, DM = 62.2 +/- 3.39, DMC = 14.9 +/- 0.67 microm3), distal parts of portal veins (C = 0.46 +/- 0.03, DM = 3.81 +/- 0.18, DMC = 0.41 +/- 0.05 microm3) and venules (C = 0.05 +/- 0.05, DM = 0.24 +/- 0.013, DMC = 0.05 +/- 0.05 microm3) respectively. Fascinatingly, liver microvasculature in curcumin treated group developed into regenerate and repair into healthy and normal characteristics. Efficiency of curcumin treatment beneficially repaired and regenerated liver tissues of diabetic groups and also redeveloped the liver's microvascular complications. These results optimistically demonstrated the potential use of curcumin as a novel therapeutic agent in liver pathology of diabetic rats.

Assets and pitfalls of chemical and microscopic analyses on gunshot residues in skeletonized bodies: a report of five cases.

PubMed

Amadasi, Alberto; Gibelli, Daniele; Mazzarelli, Debora; Porta, Davide; Gaudio, Daniel; Salsarola, Dominic; Brandone, Alberto; Rizzi, Agostino; Cattaneo, Cristina

2015-07-01

In case of gunshot wounds, forensic anthropologists and pathologists have many tools at hand, and the assistance that chemical and microscopic investigations can provide in such scenarios is often valuable and crucial. However, the results of such analyses in the search of gunshot residues (GSR) ought not to be acritically considered. We report five cases where chemical (sodium rhodizonate) and microscopic (scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDX)) analyses were performed for the search of GSR. Four cases concerned the forensic field and analyses on buried, charred, or submerged remains, whereas one case concerned the historical remains of a soldier of the First World War. In every case, the search for GSR with these techniques showed their persistence even after long periods and preservation in peculiar environments. However, chemical analyses provided their contribution, but in two cases, anthropological analyses provided crucial and solving results. The five cases show the indisputable usefulness of chemical and microscopic analyses in the search of GSR in gunshot wounds and especially how such residues may survive in time and in adverse environmental conditions. However, experts should always be dubious about some pitfalls (such as contamination) one can frequently find in these scenarios.

Unveiling the Mysteries of Mars with a Miniaturized Variable Pressure Scanning Electron Microscope (MVP-SEM)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Edmunson, J.; Gaskin, J. A.; Doloboff, I. J.

2017-01-01

Development of a miniaturized scanning electron microscope that will utilize the martian atmosphere to dissipate charge during analysis continues. This instrument is expected to be used on a future rover or lander to answer fundamental Mars science questions. To identify the most important questions, a survey was taken at the 47th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference (LPSC). From the gathered information initial topics were identified for a SEM on the martian surface. These priorities are identified and discussed below. Additionally, a concept of operations is provided with the goal of maximizing the science obtained with the minimum amount of communication with the instrument.

Quantitative in-situ scanning electron microscope pull-out experiments and molecular dynamics simulations of carbon nanotubes embedded in palladium

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hartmann, S., E-mail: steffen.hartmann@etit.tu-chemnitz.de; Blaudeck, T.; Hermann, S.

2014-04-14

In this paper, we present our results of experimental and numerical pull-out tests on carbon nanotubes (CNTs) embedded in palladium. We prepared simple specimens by employing standard silicon wafers, physical vapor deposition of palladium and deposition of CNTs with a simple drop coating technique. An AFM cantilever with known stiffness connected to a nanomanipulation system was utilized inside a scanning electron microscope (SEM) as a force sensor to determine forces acting on a CNT during the pull-out process. SEM-images of the cantilever attached to a CNT have been evaluated for subsequent displacement steps with greyscale correlation to determine the cantilevermore » deflection. We compare the experimentally obtained pull-out forces with values of numerical investigations by means of molecular dynamics and give interpretations for deviations according to material impurities or defects and their influence on the pull-out data. We find a very good agreement of force data from simulation and experiment, which is 17 nN and in the range of 10–61 nN, respectively. Our findings contribute to the ongoing research of the mechanical characterization of CNT-metal interfaces. This is of significant interest for the design of future mechanical sensors utilizing the intrinsic piezoresistive effect of CNTs or other future devices incorporating CNT-metal interfaces.« less

Direct observation of vortex structure in a high-{Tc} YBa{sub 2}Cu{sub 3}O{sub 7{minus}y} thin film by Bitter decoration method

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sugimoto, Akira; Yamaguchi, Tetsuji; Iguchi, Ienari

1999-12-01

The Bitter decoration technique is one of the most powerful techniques to study the vortex structure of superconductor. The authors report the observation of vortex structure in a high {Tc} YBa{sub 2}Cu{sub 3}O{sub 7{minus}y} (YBCO) thin film by Bitter decoration method. The image of vortex structure was monitored by SEM, AFM and high resolution optical microscope. For magnetic field about 4--6mT, a vortex structure is seen. The vortex image varied with changing magnetic field. As compared with the vortex image of a Bi{sub 2}Sr{sub 2}CaCu{sub 2}O{sub 8+y} single crystal, the observed image appeared to be more randomly distributed.

YieldStar based reticle 3D measurements and its application

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vaenkatesan, Vidya; Finders, Jo; ten Berge, Peter; Plug, Reinder; Sijben, Anko; Schellekens, Twan; Dillen, Harm; Pocobiej, Wojciech; Jorge, Vasco G.; van Dijck, Jurgen

2016-09-01

YieldStar (YS) is an established ASML-built scatterometer that is capable of measuring wafer Critical Dimension (CD), Overlay and Focus. In a recent work, the application range of YS was extended to measure 3D CD patterns on a reticle (pattern CD, height, Side Wall Angle-SWA). The primary motivation for this study came from imaging studies that indicated a need for measuring and controlling reticle 3D topography. CD scanning electron microscope (CD-SEM), Atomic force microscope (AFM), 3D multiple detector SEM (3D-SEM) are the preferred tools for reticle metrology. While these tools serve the industry well, the current research to the impact of reticle 3D involves extensive costs, logistic challenges and increased reticle lead time. YS provides an attractive alternative as it can measure pattern CD, SWA and height in a single measurement and at high throughput. This work demonstrates the capability of YS as a reticle metrology tool.

Larva of Glyptotendipes (Glyptotendipes) glaucus (Meigen 1818) (Chironomidae, Diptera)-morphology by Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), karyotype, and biology in laboratory conditions.

PubMed

Kownacki, Andrzej; Woznicka, Olga; Szarek-Gwiazda, Ewa; Michailova, Paraskeva

2016-09-21

Larvae belonging to the family Chironomidae are difficult to identify. The aim of the present study was to describe the larval morphology of G. (G.) glaucus with the aid of a Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), the karyotype and biology based on materials obtained from laboratory culture. Describing the morphology of larvae, special attention was paid to rarely or never described structures like the maxilla (lacinia and maxillary palp), the long plate situated below the ventromental plate, and plate X situated between lacinia and mentum. The use of SEM allowed also to obtain better images of labrum and ventromental plate. Morphological features of this species have been supplemented by karyotype and biology of larvae in laboratory conditions. Under controlled experimental conditions we found non-synchronous development of G. (G.) glaucus larvae hatched from one egg mass reflected in different lengths of larvae and emerged imagoes.

ATLAS of Microorganisms from Ancient Phosphorites of Khubsugul (Mongolia)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zhengallo, Elena A.; Rozanov, Alexei Yu.; Ushatinskaya, Galina T.; Hoover, Richard B.; Gerasimenko, Ludmila M.; Ragozina, Alla L.

2000-01-01

A photographic atlas of scanning electron microscope (SEM) images of Cambrian (Tommotian) microfossils from the phosphorites of Khubsugul Mongolia is presented. SEM images of modern cyanobacteria and bacteria are provided for comparison. The importance of bacterial fossils and morphological biomarkers to astrobiology and the understanding of the origin of phosphorites is considered.

Arsenic detection in water: YPO{sub 4}:Eu{sup 3+} nanoparticles

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ghosh, Debasish; Luwang, Meitram Niraj, E-mail: mn.luwang@ncl.res.in; Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research

This work reports on the novel technique of detection of arsenic in aqueous solution utilising the luminescence properties of lanthanide doped nanomaterials. Eu{sup 3+} (5%) doped YPO{sub 4}nanorodswere utilised for the said experiment. Co-precipitation method was used for the synthesis of the materials and characterised them with different instrumental techniques like X-ray diffraction (XRD), Infra-red (IR), UV-absorption, scanning electron microscope (SEM), transmission electron microscope (TEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and photoluminescence studies. This nanoparticle can adsorb both arsenic and arsenious acids. We studied the effect of arsenic adsorption on the luminescence behaviour of the nanoparticles. Arsenic acid enhanced the luminescencemore » intensity whereas arsenious acid quenched the luminescence. This luminescence enhancement or quenching is related with arsenic concentration. This relation of luminescence property with concentration of arsenic can be used to detect arsenic in industrial waste. - Graphical abstract: Novel technique of detection of Arsenic ion in aqueous solution utilising the luminescence properties of lanthanide doped nanomaterials. Potential application for detection of arsenic in drinking and industrial waste water. - Highlights: • Novel technique of detection of Arsenic in aqueous solution by YPO{sub 4}:Eu{sup 3+} nanomaterials. • The effect of arsenic adsorption on the luminescence behaviour of the nanoparticles was studied. • Arsenic acid enhance whereas arsenious acid quenches the luminescence intensity. • This technique can be used to detect arsenic in industrial waste.« less

Scanning electron microscopy of clays and clay minerals

USGS Publications Warehouse

Bohor, B.F.; Hughes, R.E.

1971-01-01

The scanning electron microscope (SEM) proves to be ideally suited for studying the configuration, texture, and fabric of clay samples. Growth mechanics of crystalline units—interpenetration and interlocking of crystallites, crystal habits, twinning, helical growth, and topotaxis—also are uniquely revealed by the SEM.Authigenic kaolins make up the bulk of the examples because their larger crystallite size, better crystallinity, and open texture make them more suited to examination by the SEM than most other clay mineral types.

The development and advantages of helium ion microscopy for the study of block copolymer nanopatterns

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bell, Alan P.; Senthamaraikannan, Ramsankar; Ghoshal, Tandra; Chaudhari, Atul; Leeson, Michael; Morris, Mick A.

2015-03-01

Helium ion microscopy (HIM) has been used to study nanopatterns formed in block copolymer (BCP) thin films. Owing to its' small spot size, minimal forward scattering of the incident ion and reduced velocity compared to electrons of comparable energy, HIM has considerable advantages and provides pattern information and resolution not attainable with other commercial microscopic techniques. In order to realize the full potential of BCP nanolithography in producing high density ultra-small features, the dimensions and geometry of these BCP materials will need to be accurately characterized through pattern formation, development and pattern transfer processes. The preferred BCP pattern inspection techniques (to date) are principally atomic force microscopy (AFM) and secondary electron microscopy (SEM) but suffer disadvantages in poor lateral resolution (AFM) and the ability to discriminate individual polymer domains (SEM). SEM suffers from reduced resolution when a more surface sensitive low accelerating voltage is used and low surface signal when a high accelerating voltage is used. In addition to these drawbacks, SEM can require the use of a conductive coating on these insulating materials and this reduces surface detail as well as increasing the dimensions of coated features. AFM is limited by the dimensions of the probe tip and a skewing of lateral dimension results. This can be eliminated through basic geometry for large sparse features, but when dense small features need to be characterized AFM lacks reliability. With this in mind, BCP inspection by HIM can offer greater insight into block ordering, critical dimensions and, critically, line edge roughness (LER) a critical parameter whose measurement is well suited to HIM because of its' enhanced edge contrast. In this work we demonstrate the resolution capabilities of HIM using various BCP systems (lamellar and cylinder structures). Imaging of BCP patterns of low molecular weight (MW)/low feature size which challenges the resolution of HIM technique. Further, studies of BCP patterns with domains of similar chemistry will be presented demonstrating the superior chemical contrast compared to SEM. From the data, HIM excels as a BCP inspection tool in four distinct areas. Firstly, HIM offers higher resolution at standard imaging conditions than SEM. Secondly, the signal generated from He+ is more surface sensitive and enables visualization of features that cannot be resolved using SEM. Thirdly; superior chemical contrast enables the imaging of un etched samples with almost identical chemical composition. Finally, dimensional measurement accuracy is high and consistent with requirements for advanced lithographic masks.

Fractal evaluation of drug amorphicity from optical and scanning electron microscope images

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gavriloaia, Bogdan-Mihai G.; Vizireanu, Radu C.; Neamtu, Catalin I.; Gavriloaia, Gheorghe V.

2013-09-01

Amorphous materials are metastable, more reactive than the crystalline ones, and have to be evaluated before pharmaceutical compound formulation. Amorphicity is interpreted as a spatial chaos, and patterns of molecular aggregates of dexamethasone, D, were investigated in this paper by using fractal dimension, FD. Images having three magnifications of D were taken from an optical microscope, OM, and with eight magnifications, from a scanning electron microscope, SEM, were analyzed. The average FD for pattern irregularities of OM images was 1.538, and about 1.692 for SEM images. The FDs of the two kinds of images are less sensitive of threshold level. 3D images were shown to illustrate dependence of FD of threshold and magnification level. As a result, optical image of single scale is enough to characterize the drug amorphicity. As a result, the OM image at a single scale is enough to characterize the amorphicity of D.

Scanning and transmission electron microscopic observation of the parasitic form of Trichophyton violaceum in the infected hair from tinea capitis.

PubMed

Zhuang, Kaiwen; Ran, Xin; Lei, Song; Zhang, Chaoliang; Lama, Jebina; Ran, Yuping

2014-01-01

Trichophyton violaceum is a pathogen of tinea capitis and usually cause infection of scalp and hair in children. To investigate the parasitic form of T. violaceum in the human hair tissue, the infected hair strands were collected from a 9-year-old boy with tinea capitis due to T. violaceum and observed under both the scanning electron microscope (SEM) and transmission electron microscope (TEM). The SEM and TEM findings revealed that T. violaceum parasitically lives in the hair shaft in various forms and the morphological transformation of the fungus from hyphae into arthrospores was noted. The involved hair shaft was damaged to the great extent and its ultrastructural changes were evident. Those morphological characteristics of T. violaceum and the three-dimensional ultastructure changes of infected hairs give a better knowledge about the host-fungus relationship in tinea capitis. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Diagnosis of cervical cancer cell taken from scanning electron and atomic force microscope images of the same patients using discrete wavelet entropy energy and Jensen Shannon, Hellinger, Triangle Measure classifier.

PubMed

Aytac Korkmaz, Sevcan

2016-05-05

The aim of this article is to provide early detection of cervical cancer by using both Atomic Force Microscope (AFM) and Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) images of same patient. When the studies in the literature are examined, it is seen that the AFM and SEM images of the same patient are not used together for early diagnosis of cervical cancer. AFM and SEM images can be limited when using only one of them for the early detection of cervical cancer. Therefore, multi-modality solutions which give more accuracy results than single solutions have been realized in this paper. Optimum feature space has been obtained by Discrete Wavelet Entropy Energy (DWEE) applying to the 3×180 AFM and SEM images. Then, optimum features of these images are classified with Jensen Shannon, Hellinger, and Triangle Measure (JHT) Classifier for early diagnosis of cervical cancer. However, between classifiers which are Jensen Shannon, Hellinger, and triangle distance have been validated the measures via relationships. Afterwards, accuracy diagnosis of normal, benign, and malign cervical cancer cell was found by combining mean success rates of Jensen Shannon, Hellinger, and Triangle Measure which are connected with each other. Averages of accuracy diagnosis for AFM and SEM images by averaging the results obtained from these 3 classifiers are found as 98.29% and 97.10%, respectively. It has been observed that AFM images for early diagnosis of cervical cancer have higher performance than SEM images. Also in this article, surface roughness of malign AFM images in the result of the analysis made for the AFM images, according to the normal and benign AFM images is observed as larger, If the volume of particles has found as smaller. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

SEM-induced shrinkage and site-selective modification of single-crystal silicon nanopores

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Qi; Wang, Yifan; Deng, Tao; Liu, Zewen

2017-07-01

Solid-state nanopores with feature sizes around 5 nm play a critical role in bio-sensing fields, especially in single molecule detection and sequencing of DNA, RNA and proteins. In this paper we present a systematic study on shrinkage and site-selective modification of single-crystal silicon nanopores with a conventional scanning electron microscope (SEM). Square nanopores with measurable sizes as small as 8 nm × 8 nm and rectangle nanopores with feature sizes (the smaller one between length and width) down to 5 nm have been obtained, using the SEM-induced shrinkage technique. The analysis of energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy and the recovery of the pore size and morphology reveal that the grown material along with the edge of the nanopore is the result of deposition of hydrocarbon compounds, without structural damage during the shrinking process. A simplified model for pore shrinkage has been developed based on observation of the cross-sectional morphology of the shrunk nanopore. The main factors impacting on the task of controllably shrinking the nanopores, such as the accelerating voltage, spot size, scanned area of e-beam, and the initial pore size have been discussed. It is found that single-crystal silicon nanopores shrink linearly with time under localized irradiation by SEM e-beam in all cases, and the pore shrinkage rate is inversely proportional to the initial equivalent diameter of the pore under the same e-beam conditions.

Eu3+-doped Gd2O3 nanoparticles as reporters for optical detection and visualization of antibodies patterned by microcontact printing.

PubMed

Nichkova, Mikaela; Dosev, Dosi; Perron, Richard; Gee, Shirley J; Hammock, Bruce D; Kennedy, Ian M

2006-02-01

Lanthanide oxide nanoparticles are promising luminescent probes in bioanalysis, because of their unique spectral properties, photostability, and low-cost synthesis. We report for the first time the application of europium-doped gadolinium oxide (Eu:Gd2O3) nanoparticles to the optical imaging of antibody micropatterns. The nanoparticles were synthesized by spray pyrolysis and coated with antibody (IgG) molecules by physical adsorption. Our experiments showed that the Eu:Gd2O3 is a good biocompatible solid support for antibody immobilization. The antibodies (anti-rabbit IgG) immobilized on the nanoparticles had excellent biological activity in the specific recognition reaction with rabbit IgG patterned in line strips (10 micromx10 microm) on a glass substrate by use of a micro-contact printing technique. The specific immunoreaction was confirmed by two independent microscopic techniques-fluorescence and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Both microscopic images revealed that the nanoparticles were organized into designated structures as defined by the microcontact printing process with negligible non-specific binding. The nanoparticles can be used as fluorescent markers in a variety of immunosensing applications in a microscale format.

High fluence swift heavy ion structure modification of the SiO2/Si interface and gate insulator in 65 nm MOSFETs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ma, Yao; Gao, Bo; Gong, Min; Willis, Maureen; Yang, Zhimei; Guan, Mingyue; Li, Yun

2017-04-01

In this work, a study of the structure modification, induced by high fluence swift heavy ion radiation, of the SiO2/Si structures and gate oxide interface in commercial 65 nm MOSFETs is performed. A key and novel point in this study is the specific use of the transmission electron microscopy (TEM) technique instead of the conventional atomic force microscope (AFM) or scanning electron microscope (SEM) techniques which are typically performed following the chemical etching of the sample to observe the changes in the structure. Using this method we show that after radiation, the appearance of a clearly visible thin layer between the SiO2 and Si is observed presenting as a variation in the TEM intensity at the interface of the two materials. Through measuring the EDX line scans we reveal that the Si:O ratio changed and that this change can be attributed to the migration of the Si towards interface after the Si-O bond is destroyed by the swift heavy ions. For the 65 nm MOSFET sample, the silicon substrate, the SiON insulator and the poly-silicon gate interfaces become blurred under the same irradiation conditions.

A Simulation of the Topographic Contrast in the SEM

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kotera, Masatoshi; Fujiwara, Takafumi; Suga, Hiroshi; Wittry, David B.

1990-10-01

A simulation model is presented to analyze the topographic contast in the scanning electron microscope (SEM). This simulation takes into account all major mechanisms from signal generation to signal detection in the SEM. The calculated result shows that the resolution of the secondary electron image is better than that of the backscattered electron image for 1 and 3 keV primary electrons incident on an Al target. An asymmetric intensity profile of a signal at a topographic pattern, usually found in the SEM equipped with the Everhart-Thornley detector, is mainly due to the asymmetric profile of the backscattered electron signal.

Synthesis of Calcite Nano Particles from Natural Limestone assisted with Ultrasonic Technique

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Handayani, M.; Sulistiyono, E.; Firdiyono, F.; Fajariani, E. N.

2018-03-01

This article represents a precipitation method assisted with ultrasonic process to synthesize precipitated calcium carbonate nano particles from natural limestone. The synthesis of nanoparticles material of precipitated calcium carbonate from commercial calcium carbonate was done for comparison. The process was performed using ultrasonic waves at optimum condition, that is, at temperature of 80oC for 10 minutes with various amplitudes. Synthesized precipitated calcium carbonate nanoparticles were characterized using X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) and Particle Size Analyzer (PSA). The result of PSA measurements showed that precipitated calcium carbonate nano particles was obtained with the average size of 109 nm.

Studies on rock characteristics and timing of creep at selected landslide sites in Taiwan

Treesearch

Cheng-Yi Lee

2000-01-01

A study was conducted to investigate the causes of and rock characteristics at three landslide sites in the Tesngwen Reservoir watershed of southern Taiwan. Research methods used included the petrographic microscope, X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), inductively coupled plasma spectroscope (ICP), constant head permeameter in triaxial...

Arc-melting preparation of single crystal LaB.sub.6 cathodes

DOEpatents

Gibson, Edwin D.; Verhoeven, John D.

1977-06-21

A method for preparing single crystals of lanthanum hexaboride (LaB.sub.6) by arc melting a rod of compacted LaB.sub.6 powder. The method is especially suitable for preparing single crystal LaB.sub.6 cathodes for use in scanning electron microscopes (SEM) and scanning transmission electron microscopes (STEM).

Miniature Variable Pressure Scanning Electron Microscope for In-Situ Imaging and Chemical Analysis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gaskin, Jessica A.; Jerman, Gregory; Gregory, Don; Sampson, Allen R.

2012-01-01

NASA Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) is leading an effort to develop a Miniaturized Variable Pressure Scanning Electron Microscope (MVP-SEM) for in-situ imaging and chemical analysis of uncoated samples. This instrument development will be geared towards operation on Mars and builds on a previous MSFC design of a mini-SEM for the moon (funded through the NASA Planetary Instrument Definition and Development Program). Because Mars has a dramatically different environment than the moon, modifications to the MSFC lunar mini-SEM are necessary. Mainly, the higher atmospheric pressure calls for the use of an electron gun that can operate at High Vacuum, rather than Ultra-High Vacuum. The presence of a CO2-rich atmosphere also allows for the incorporation of a variable pressure system that enables the in-situ analysis of nonconductive geological specimens. Preliminary testing of Mars meteorites in a commercial Environmental SEM(Tradmark) (FEI) confirms the usefulness of lowcurrent/low-accelerating voltage imaging and highlights the advantages of using the Mars atmosphere for environmental imaging. The unique capabilities of the MVP-SEM make it an ideal tool for pursuing key scientific goals of NASA's Flagship Mission Max-C; to perform in-situ science and collect and cache samples in preparation for sample return from Mars.

A simple cryo-holder facilitates specimen observation under a conventional scanning electron microscope.

PubMed

Tang, Chih-Yuan; Huang, Rong-Nan; Kuo-Huang, Ling-Long; Kuo, Tai-Chih; Yang, Ya-Yun; Lin, Ching-Yeh; Jane, Wann-Neng; Chen, Shiang-Jiuun

2012-02-01

A pre-cryogenic holder (cryo-holder) facilitating cryo-specimen observation under a conventional scanning electron microscope (SEM) is described. This cryo-holder includes a specimen-holding unit (the stub) and a cryogenic energy-storing unit (a composite of three cylinders assembled with a screw). After cooling, the cryo-holder can continue supplying cryogenic energy to extend the observation time for the specimen in a conventional SEM. Moreover, the cryogenic energy-storing unit could retain appropriate liquid nitrogen that can evaporate to prevent frost deposition on the surface of the specimen. This device is proved feasible for various tissues and cells, and can be applied to the fields of both biology and material science. We have employed this novel cryo-holder for observation of yeast cells, trichome, and epidermal cells in the leaf of Arabidopsis thaliana, compound eyes of insects, red blood cells, filiform papillae on the surface of rat tongue, agar medium, water molecules, penicillium, etc. All results suggested that the newly designed cryo-holder is applicable for cryo-specimen observation under a conventional SEM without cooling system. Most importantly, the design of this cryo-holder is simple and easy to operate and could adapt a conventional SEM to a plain type cryo-SEM affordable for most laboratories. Copyright © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Structural, thermal and electrical characterizations of multiwalled carbon nanotubes and polyaniline composite

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Singh, Kamal, E-mail: singhkamal204@gmail.com; Garg, Leena; Singh, Jaspal

2016-05-06

The undoped and doped composite of MWNTs (Multiwalled Carbon Nanotubes) with PANI (/Polyaniline) was prepared by chemical oxidative polymerization. The MWNTs/PANI composites have been characterized by using various techniques like Thermogravometric Analysis (TGA), Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectrometer and Field emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM) and conductivity measurement by using two probe method. TGA results has shown that thermal stability followed the pattern undoped MWNTs/PANI composite < doped MWNTs/PANI composite. FE-SEM micrographs demonstrated the morphological changes on the surface of MWNTs as a result of composite formation. Fourier transformed infrared (FT-IR) spectra ascertained the formation of the composite. Study ofmore » electrical characteristics demonstrated that the doped MWNTs/PANI composite (1.2 × 10{sup 1} Scm{sup −1}) have better conductivity than the undoped MWNTs/PANI composite (10{sup −4} Scm{sup −1}). These CNTs based polymeric composites are of great importance in developing new nano-scale devices for future chemical, mechanical and electronic applications.« less

High performance membrane-electrode assembly based on a surface-modified membrane

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Han, Sangil; Lee, Jang Woo; Kwak, Chan; Chai, Geun Seok; Son, In Hyuk; Jang, Moon Yup; An, Sung Guk; Cho, Sung Yong; Kim, Jun Young; Kim, Hyung Wook; Serov, Alexey Alexandrovych; Yoo, Youngtai; Nam, Kie Hyun

A surface-modified membrane is prepared using a sputtering technique that deposits gold directly on a Nafion ® 115 membrane surface that is roughened with silicon carbide paper. The surface-modified membranes are characterized by means of a scanning electron microscope (SEM), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and water contact-angle analysis. A single direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC) with a surface-modified membrane exhibits enhanced performance (160 mW cm -2), while a bare Nafion ® 115 cell yields 113 mW cm -2 at 0.4 V and an operating temperature of 70 °C. From FE-SEM images and CO ad stripping voltammograms, it is also found that the gold layer is composed of clusters of porous nodule-like particles, which indicates that an anode with nodule-like gold leads to the preferential oxidation of carbon monoxide. These results suggest that the topology of gold in the interfacial area and its electrocatalytic nature may be the critical factors that affect DMFC performance.

SEM in situ MiniCantilever Beam Bending of U-10Mo/Zr/Al Fuel Elements

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Mook, William; Baldwin, Jon K.; Martinez, Ricardo M.

2014-06-16

In this work, the fracture behavior of Al/Zr and Zr/dU-10Mo interfaces was measured via the minicantilever bend technique. The energy dissipation rates were found to be approximately 3.7-5 mj/mm 2 and 5.9 mj/mm 2 for each interface, respectively. It was found that in order to test the Zr/U-10Mo interface, location of the hinge of the cantilever was a key parameter. While this test could be adapted to hot cell use through careful alignment fixturing and measurement of crack lengths with an optical microscope (as opposed to SEM, which was used here out of convenience), machining of the cantilevers via MiniMillmore » in such a way as to locate the interfaces at the cantilever hinge, as well as proper placement of a femtosecond laser notch will continue to be key challenges in a hot cell environment.« less

Progress toward Synthesis and Characterization of Rare-Earth Nanoparticles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Romero, Dulce G.; Ho, Pei-Chun; Attar, Saeed; Margosan, Dennis

2010-03-01

Magnetic nanoparticles exhibit interesting phenomena, such as enhanced magnetization and reduced magnetic ordering temperature (i.e. superparamagnetism), which has technical applications in industry, including magnetic storage, magnetic imaging, and magnetic refrigeration. We used the inverse micelle technique to synthesize Gd and Nd nanoparticles given its potential to control the cluster size, amount of aggregation, and prevent oxidation of the rare-earth elements. Gd and Nd were reduced by NaBH4 from the chloride salt. The produced clusters were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX). The results from the XRD show that the majority of the peaks match those of the surfactant, DDAB. No peaks of Gd were observed due to excess surfactant or amorphous clusters. However, the results from the SEM and EDX indicate the presence of Gd and Nd in our clusters microscopically, and current synthesized samples contain impurities. We are using liquid-liquid extraction method to purify the sample, and the results will be discussed.

Conductive contact area estimation for carbon nanotube via interconnects using secondary-electron imaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abe, Yusuke; Suzuki, Makoto; Vyas, Anshul; Yang, Cary Y.

2018-01-01

A major challenge for carbon nanotube (CNT) to become a viable replacement of copper and tungsten in the next-generation on-chip via interconnects is the high contact resistance between CNT and metal electrodes. A first step in meeting this challenge is an accurate characterization of via contact resistance. In this paper, the scanning electron microscope (SEM) image contrast at low landing energy is employed to estimate the conductive CNT area inside vias. The total conductive CNT area inside each via is deduced using SEM image with 0.1 keV landing energy and a specified threshold brightness, yielding via resistance versus CNT area behavior, which correlates well with electrical nanoprobing measurements of via resistance. Monte Carlo simulation of secondary electron generation lends further support for our analysis and suggests that the residue covering the CNT does not affect the conduction across the contact for residue thickness below 1 nm. This imaging and analysis technique can add much value to CNT via interconnect contact characterization.

A multi-analytical approach for the study of the pigments used in the wall paintings from a building complex on the Caelian Hill (Rome)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fermo, Paola; Piazzalunga, Andrea; de Vos, Mariette; Andreoli, Martina

2013-12-01

In the present study, shards from Roman wall paintings (from the end of the first century to the fourth century A.D.) decorating the domus below the Basilica of SS. John and Paul on the Caelian Hill (Rome), were analyzed in order to identify the pigments used. The analytical techniques employed for the characterization of the pigments were the scanning electron microscope coupled with an energy dispersive spectrometer (SEM-EDS) and infrared spectroscopy (ATR and micro ATR). While SEM-EDS allowed to perform a qualitative analysis of the material, by FT-IR chemical species have been identified. The pigments identified were those mentioned in the literature for the Imperial Roman fresco painting: different types of ochre (yellow and red), mixtures containing lead, green earths and precious pigments such as cinnabar and Egyptian blue. They were often used as mixtures and the use of the most valuable pigments (cinnabar and Egyptian blue) were found in the most ancient rooms.

Cell surface and cell outline imaging in plant tissues using the backscattered electron detector in a variable pressure scanning electron microscope

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) has been used for high-resolution imaging of plant cell surfaces for many decades. Most SEM imaging employs the secondary electron detector under high vacuum to provide pseudo-3D images of plant organs and especially of surface structures such as trichomes and stomatal guard cells; these samples generally have to be metal-coated to avoid charging artefacts. Variable pressure-SEM allows examination of uncoated tissues, and provides a flexible range of options for imaging, either with a secondary electron detector or backscattered electron detector. In one application, we used the backscattered electron detector under low vacuum conditions to collect images of uncoated barley leaf tissue followed by simple quantification of cell areas. Results Here, we outline methods for backscattered electron imaging of a variety of plant tissues with particular focus on collecting images for quantification of cell size and shape. We demonstrate the advantages of this technique over other methods to obtain high contrast cell outlines, and define a set of parameters for imaging Arabidopsis thaliana leaf epidermal cells together with a simple image analysis protocol. We also show how to vary parameters such as accelerating voltage and chamber pressure to optimise imaging in a range of other plant tissues. Conclusions Backscattered electron imaging of uncoated plant tissue allows acquisition of images showing details of plant morphology together with images of high contrast cell outlines suitable for semi-automated image analysis. The method is easily adaptable to many types of tissue and suitable for any laboratory with standard SEM preparation equipment and a variable-pressure-SEM or tabletop SEM. PMID:24135233

Comparison of nerve trimming with the Er:YAG laser and steel knife

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Josephson, G. D.; Bass, Lawrence S.; Kasabian, A. K.

1995-05-01

Best outcome in nerve repair requires precise alignment and minimization of scar at the repair interface. Surgeons attempt to create the sharpest cut surface at the nerve edge prior to approximation. Pulsed laser modalities are being investigated in several medical applications which require precise atraumatic cutting. We compared nerve trimming with the Er:YAG laser (1375 J/cm2) to conventional steel knife trimming prior to neurorrhaphy. Sprague- Dawley rats were anesthetized with ketamine and xylazine. Under operating microscope magnification the sciatic nerve was dissected and transected using one of the test techniques. In the laser group, the pulses were directed axially across the nerve using a stage which fixed laser fiber/nerve distance and orientation. Specimens were sent for scanning electron microscopy (SEM) at time zero. Epineurial repairs were performed with 10 - 0 nylon simple interrupted sutures. At intervals to 90 days, specimens were harvested and sectioned longitudinally and axially for histologic examination. Time zero SEM revealed clean cuts in both groups but individual axons were clearly visible in all laser specimens. Small pits were also visible on the cut surface of laser treated nerves. No significant differences in nerve morphology were seen during healing. Further studies to quantify axon counts, and functional outcome will be needed to assess this technique of nerve trimming. Delivery system improvements will also be required, to make the technique clinically practical.

Ultrastructural changes in tracheal epithelial cells exposed to oxygen

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Philpott, D. E.; Harrison, G. A.; Turnbill, C.; Black, S.

1977-01-01

White albino rats were sacrificed after 24, 36, 48, 72, and 96 h of exposure to 100% O2 at 1 atm. Tissue was prepared for the scanning electron microscope (SEM) by Critical Point Drying and for the transmission electron microscope (TEM) by plastic embedding. Scanning microscopy showed a loss of microvilli after 48 h of exposure. Cilia appeared relatively normal with SEM, but TEM revealed changes in the outer membrane. In TEM, nonciliated cells appeared swollen and often encroached on the ciliated cells. A heavy mucous blanket remained even after processing. All the changes observed that are induced by oxygen exposure contribute to mucostasis, reducing and/or halting mucociliary clearance.

Backscattered helium spectroscopy in the helium ion microscope: Principles, resolution and applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

van Gastel, R.; Hlawacek, G.; Dutta, S.; Poelsema, B.

2015-02-01

We demonstrate the possibilities and limitations for microstructure characterization using backscattered particles from a sharply focused helium ion beam. The interaction of helium ions with matter enables the imaging, spectroscopic characterization, as well as the nanometer scale modification of samples. The contrast that is seen in helium ion microscopy (HIM) images differs from that in scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and is generally a result of the higher surface sensitivity of the method. It allows, for instance, a much better visualization of low-Z materials as a result of the small secondary electron escape depth. However, the same differences in beam interaction that give HIM an edge over other imaging techniques, also impose limitations for spectroscopic applications using backscattered particles. Here we quantify those limitations and discuss opportunities to further improve the technique.

Structural and optical properties of WTe2 single crystals synthesized by DVT technique

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dixit, Vijay; Vyas, Chirag; Pathak, V. M.; Soalanki, G. K.; Patel, K. D.

2018-05-01

Layered transition metal di-chalcogenide (LTMDCs) crystals have attracted much attention due to their potential in optoelectronic device applications recently due to realization of their monolayer based structures. In the present investigation we report growth of WTe2 single crystals by direct vapor transport (DVT) technique. These crystals are then characterized by energy dispersive analysis of x-rays (EDAX) to study stoichiometric composition after growth. The structural properties are studied by x-ray diffraction (XRD) and selected area electron diffraction (SAED) is used to confirm orthorhombic structure of grown WTe2 crystal. Surface morphological properties of the crystals are also studied by scanning electron microscope (SEM). The optical properties of the grown crystals are studied by UV-Visible spectroscopy which gives direct band gap of 1.44 eV for grown WTe2 single crystals.

Characterization of the Micro-Abrasive Wear in Coatings of TaC-HfC/Au for Biomedical Implants

PubMed Central

Guzmán, Pablo; Yate, Luis; Sandoval, Mercy; Caballero, Jose

2017-01-01

The object of this work was the deposition of a Ta-Hf-C thin film with a gold interlayer on stainless steel, via the physical vapor deposition (PVD) technique, in order to evaluate the properties of different systems subjected to micro-abrasive wear phenomena generated by alumina particles in Ringer's solution. The surface characterization was performed using a scanning electron microscope (SEM) and atomic force microscope (AFM). The crystallographic phases exhibited for each coating were obtained by X-ray diffraction (XRD). As a consequence of modifying the composition of Ta-Hf there was evidence of an improvement in the micro-abrasive wear resistance and, for each system, the wear constants that confirm the enhancement of the surface were calculated. Likewise, these surfaces can be bioactive, generating an alternative to improve the biological fixation of the implants, therefore, the coatings of TaC-HfC/Au contribute in the development of the new generation of orthopedic implants. PMID:28773207

Synthesis of SnO2 and Ag Nanoparticles from Electronic Wastes with the Assistance of Ultrasound and Microwaves

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cerchier, Pietrogiovanni; Dabalà, Manuele; Brunelli, Katya

2017-09-01

In this work, SnO2 and Ag nanoparticles were produced with a raw material nitric acid solution, which came from the leaching of printed circuit boards. First, a precursor of tin oxide was precipitated from the nitric acid solution by three different techniques: (I) conventional heating, (II) microwave irradiation, and (III) ultrasound treatment. Second, this precursor was transformed into tin oxide nanoparticles by heat treatment in a furnace. Third, hydrochloric acid was added to the nitric acid solution to induce the precipitation of silver chloride. Fourth, silver chloride was reduced to metallic silver nanoparticles in an ammonia solution using glucose syrup as both the reducing agent and the capping agent. The reduction reaction was carried out through (I) conventional heating, (II) microwave irradiation, and (III) ultrasound treatment. The nanoparticles were characterized by scanning electron microscope (SEM), x-ray diffractometer (XRD), infrared (IR)-spectroscopy, transmission electron microscope (TEM), ultraviolet (UV)-spectroscopy, and laser diffraction particle size analyzer.

Red tea leaves infusion as a reducing and stabilizing agent in silver nanoparticles synthesis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pluta, K.; Tryba, A. M.; Malina, D.; Sobczak-Kupiec, A.

2017-12-01

Due to the unique properties of silver nanoparticles there is growing interest in their applications. Current trends in nanotechnology are focused on developing a new technique to synthesize nanoparticles using biological methods associated with the use of plant extracts, fungi, bacteria or essential oils. These methods are a promising alternative to conventional approaches which can minimize the use of hazardous substances. The silver nanoparticles synthesis using red tea infusion as a reducing and stabilizing agent and their characteristics have been described. Total antioxidant capacity using DPPH radical and total content of phenolic compounds by Folin-Ciocalteau method were measured in tea infusion. Synthesis of silver nanoparticles was carried out using chemical reduction at various temperatures. Furthermore, the effect of tea infusion volume added to reaction mixture on nanoparticles’ properties was investigated. Finally, nanosilver suspensions were characterized by UV-vis spectrophotometer, dynamic light scattering (DLS) scanning electron microscope (SEM) and transmission electron microscope (TEM). Moreover, phytotoxicity of silver nanoparticles was determined using Phytotestkit microbiotest.

High throughput secondary electron imaging of organic residues on a graphene surface

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhou, Yangbo; O'Connell, Robert; Maguire, Pierce; Zhang, Hongzhou

2014-11-01

Surface organic residues inhibit the extraordinary electronic properties of graphene, hindering the development of graphene electronics. However, fundamental understanding of the residue morphology is still absent due to a lack of high-throughput and high-resolution surface characterization methods. Here, we demonstrate that secondary electron (SE) imaging in the scanning electron microscope (SEM) and helium ion microscope (HIM) can provide sub-nanometer information of a graphene surface and reveal the morphology of surface contaminants. Nanoscale polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) residues are visible in the SE imaging, but their contrast, i.e. the apparent lateral dimension, varies with the imaging conditions. We have demonstrated a quantitative approach to readily obtain the physical size of the surface features regardless of the contrast variation. The fidelity of SE imaging is ultimately determined by the probe size of the primary beam. HIM is thus evaluated to be a superior SE imaging technique in terms of surface sensitivity and image fidelity. A highly efficient method to reveal the residues on a graphene surface has therefore been established.

Accurate virus quantitation using a Scanning Transmission Electron Microscopy (STEM) detector in a scanning electron microscope.

PubMed

Blancett, Candace D; Fetterer, David P; Koistinen, Keith A; Morazzani, Elaine M; Monninger, Mitchell K; Piper, Ashley E; Kuehl, Kathleen A; Kearney, Brian J; Norris, Sarah L; Rossi, Cynthia A; Glass, Pamela J; Sun, Mei G

2017-10-01

A method for accurate quantitation of virus particles has long been sought, but a perfect method still eludes the scientific community. Electron Microscopy (EM) quantitation is a valuable technique because it provides direct morphology information and counts of all viral particles, whether or not they are infectious. In the past, EM negative stain quantitation methods have been cited as inaccurate, non-reproducible, and with detection limits that were too high to be useful. To improve accuracy and reproducibility, we have developed a method termed Scanning Transmission Electron Microscopy - Virus Quantitation (STEM-VQ), which simplifies sample preparation and uses a high throughput STEM detector in a Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) coupled with commercially available software. In this paper, we demonstrate STEM-VQ with an alphavirus stock preparation to present the method's accuracy and reproducibility, including a comparison of STEM-VQ to viral plaque assay and the ViroCyt Virus Counter. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Non linear optical investigations of silver nanoparticles synthesised by curcumin reduction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dhanya, N. P.

2017-11-01

Metal nanoparticles have considerable applications in assorted fields like medicine, biology, photonics, metallurgy etc. Optical applications of Silver nanoparticles are of significant interest among researchers nowadays. In this paper, we report a single step chemical reduction of silver nanoparticles with Curcumin both as a reducing and stabilising agent at room temperature. Structural, plasmonic and non linear optical properties of the prepared nanoparticles are explored using Scanning Electron Microscope, Transmission Electron Microscope, UV absorption spectrometry, Spectroflurometry and Z scan. UV-Vis absorption studies affirm the Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR) absorption and spectroflurometric studies announce the emission spectrum of the prepared silvernanoparticles at 520 nm. SEM and TEM images uphold the existence of uniform sized, spherical silvernanoparticles. Nonlinear optical studies are accomplished with the open aperture z scan technique in the nanosecond regime. The nonlinearity is in virtue of saturable absorption, two-photon absorption and excited state absorption. The marked nonlinearity and optical limiting of the Curcumin reduced silvernanoparticles enhances its photonic applications.

Using a university characterization facility to educate the public about microscopes: light microscopes to SEM

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Healy, Nancy; Henderson, Walter

2015-10-01

The National Nanotechnology Infrastructure Network (NNIN)1is an integrated partnership of 14 universities across the US funded by NSF to support nanoscale researchers. The NNIN education office is located at the Institute of Electronics and Nanotechnology at the Georgia Institute of Technology. At Georgia Tech we offer programs that integrate the facility and its resources to educate the public about nanotechnology. One event that has proved highly successful involves using microscopes in our characterization suite to educate a diverse audience about a variety of imaging instruments. As part of the annual Atlanta Science Festival (ATLSF)2 we provided an event entitled: "What's all the Buzz about Nanotechnology?" which was open to the public and advertised through a variety of methods by the ATLSF. During the event, we provided hands-on demos, cleanroom tours, and activities with three of our microscopes in our recently opened Imaging and Characterization Facility: 1. Keyence VHX-600 Digital Microscope; 2. Hitachi SU823 FE-SEM; and 3. Hitachi TM 3000. During the two hour event we had approximately 150 visitors including many families with school-aged children. Visitors were invited to bring a sample for scanning with the TM-3000. This paper will discuss how to do such an event, lessons learned, and visitor survey results.

Solar Flare Track Exposure Ages in Regolith Particles: A Calibration for Transmission Electron Microscope Measurements

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Berger, Eve L.; Keller, Lindsay P.

2015-01-01

Mineral grains in lunar and asteroidal regolith samples provide a unique record of their interaction with the space environment. Space weathering effects result from multiple processes including: exposure to the solar wind, which results in ion damage and implantation effects that are preserved in the rims of grains (typically the outermost 100 nm); cosmic ray and solar flare activity, which result in track formation; and impact processes that result in the accumulation of vapor-deposited elements, impact melts and adhering grains on particle surfaces. Determining the rate at which these effects accumulate in the grains during their space exposure is critical to studies of the surface evolution of airless bodies. Solar flare energetic particles (mainly Fe-group nuclei) have a penetration depth of a few millimeters and leave a trail of ionization damage in insulating materials that is readily observable by transmission electron microscope (TEM) imaging. The density of solar flare particle tracks is used to infer the length of time an object was at or near the regolith surface (i.e., its exposure age). Track measurements by TEM methods are routine, yet track production rate calibrations have only been determined using chemical etching techniques [e.g., 1, and references therein]. We used focused ion beam-scanning electron microscope (FIB-SEM) sample preparation techniques combined with TEM imaging to determine the track density/exposure age relations for lunar rock 64455. The 64455 sample was used earlier by [2] to determine a track production rate by chemical etching of tracks in anorthite. Here, we show that combined FIB/TEM techniques provide a more accurate determination of a track production rate and also allow us to extend the calibration to solar flare tracks in olivine.

Three-dimensional cytomorphology in fine needle aspiration biopsy of medullary thyroid carcinoma.

PubMed

Chang, T C; Lai, S M; Wen, C Y; Hsiao, Y L; Huang, S H

2001-01-01

To elucidate three-dimensional (3-D) cytomorphology in fine needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) of medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC). ENAB was performed on tumors from five patients with MTC. The aspirate was stained and observed under a light microscope (LM). The aspirate was also fixed, dehydrated, critical point dried, spattered with gold ions and observed with a scanning electron microscope (SEM). For transmission electron microscopy (TEM), the specimen was fixed, dehydrated, embedded in an Epon mixture, cut with an ultramicrotome, mounted on copper grids, electron doubly stained with uranium acetate and lead citrate, and observed with TEM. Findings under SEM were correlated with those under LM and TEM. Under SEM, 3-D cytomorphology of MTC displayed a disorganized cellular arrangement with indistinct cell borders in three cases. The cell surface was uneven and had granular protrusions that corresponded to secretory granules observed under TEM. In one case with multiple endocrine neoplasia type IIB, there were abundant granules on the cell surface. In one case of sporadic MTC with multinucleated tumor giant cells and small cells, granular protrusions also were noted on the cell surface. Granular protrusion was a characteristic finding in FNAB of MTC tinder SEM and might be helpful in the differential diagnosis.

Optical sectioning and 3D reconstructions as an alternative to scanning electron microscopy for analysis of cell shape.

PubMed

Landis, Jacob B; Ventura, Kayla L; Soltis, Douglas E; Soltis, Pamela S; Oppenheimer, David G

2015-04-01

Visualizing flower epidermal cells is often desirable for investigating the interaction between flowers and their pollinators, in addition to the broader range of ecological interactions in which flowers are involved. We developed a protocol for visualizing petal epidermal cells without the limitations of the commonly used method of scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Flower material was collected and fixed in glutaraldehyde, followed by dehydration in an ethanol series. Flowers were dissected to collect petals, and subjected to a Histo-Clear series to remove the cuticle. Material was then stained with aniline blue, mounted on microscope slides, and imaged using a compound fluorescence microscope to obtain optical sections that were reconstructed into a 3D image. This optical sectioning method yielded high-quality images of the petal epidermal cells with virtually no damage to cells. Flowers were processed in larger batches than are possible using common SEM methods. Also, flower size was not a limiting factor as often observed in SEM studies. Flowers up to 5 cm in length were processed and mounted for visualization. This method requires no special equipment for sample preparation prior to imaging and should be seen as an alternative method to SEM.

Dopant concentration dependent growth of Fe:ZnO nanostructures

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sahai, Anshuman; Goswami, Navendu, E-mail: navendugoswami@gmail.com

2016-05-23

Systematic investigations of structural properties of 1-10% Fe doped ZnO nanostructure (Fe:ZnO NS) prepared via chemical precipitation method have been reported. Structural properties were probed thoroughly employing scanning electron microscope (SEM) and transmission electron microscope (TEM), energy dispersive X-ray (EDAX) analysis and X-ray diffraction (XRD). Morphological transformation of nanostructures (NS) with Fe incorporation is evident in SEM/TEM images. Nanoparticles (NP) obtained with 1% Fe, evolve to nanorods (NR) for 3% Fe; NR transform to nanocones (NC) (for 5% and 7% Fe) and finally NC transform to nanoflakes (NF) at 10% Fe. Morover, primary phase of Zn{sub 1-x}Fe{sub x}O along withmore » secondary phases of ZnFe{sub 2}O{sub 4} and Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3} were also revealed through XRD measurements. Based on collective XRD, SEM, TEM, and EDAX interpretations, a model for morphological evolution of NS was proposed and the pivotal role of Fe dopant was deciphered.« less

An ultrastructural study on corkscrew hairs and cigarette-ash-shaped hairs observed by dermoscopy of tinea capitis.

PubMed

Lu, Mao; Ran, Yuping; Dai, Yaling; Lei, Song; Zhang, Chaoliang; Zhuang, Kaiwen; Hu, Wenying

2016-01-01

This study was aimed to explain the formation mechanisms of corkscrew hairs and cigarette-ash-shaped hairs observed by dermoscopy of tinea capitis. In the present work, the ultrastructure of the involved hairs collected from a girl with tinea capitis caused by Trichophyton violaceum was observed by scanning electron microscope (SEM) and transmission electron microscope (TEM). SEM observation of the corkscrew hair revealed bent hair shaft and asymmetrically disrupted cuticle layer. TEM findings demonstrated the hair shaft became weak. The corkscrew hairs closely covered by scales on the scalp were observed under dermoscopy. We speculate that the formation of corkscrew hairs is a result of a combination of internal damage due to hair degradation by T. violaceum and external resistance due to scales covering the hair. SEM observation of the cigarette-ash-shaped hair revealed irregularly disrupted and incompact end, which might represent the stump of the broken corkscrew hair after treatment. © Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Enhanced biological properties of biomimetic apatite fabricated polycaprolactone/chitosan nanofibrous bio-composite for tendon and ligament regeneration.

PubMed

Wu, Geng; Deng, Xuefeng; Song, Jinqi; Chen, Feiqiang

2018-01-01

The development of tailored nanofibrous scaffolds for tendon and ligament tissue engineering has been a goal of clinical research for current researchers. Here, we establish a formation of novel nanofibrous matrix with significant mechanical and biological properties by electro-spinning process. The fine fibrous morphology of the nanostructured hydroxyapatite (HAp) dispersed in the polycaprolactone/chitosan (HAp-PCL/CS) nanofibrous matrix was exhibited by microscopic (SEM and TEM) techniques. The favorable mechanical properties (load and modulus) were achieved. The load and modulus of the HAp-PCL/CS composite fibers was 250.1N and 215.5MPa, which is very similar to that of standard value of the human tendon and ligament tissues. The cellular responses and biocompatibility of HAp-PCL/CS nanofibrous scaffolds were investigated with human osteoblast (HOS) cells for tendon regeneration and examined the primary osteoblast mechanism by in vitro method. The morphological (FE-SEM and fluorescence) microscopic images clearly exhibited that HOS cells are well attached and flatted on the nanofibrous composites. The HAp dispersed PCL/CS nanofibrous scaffolds promoted higher adhesion and proliferation of HOS cells comparable to the nanofibrous scaffolds without HAp nanoparticles. The physic-chemical and biological properties of the synthesized nanofibrous scaffold were very close to that of normal ligament and tendon in human body. Over all, these studied results confirmed that the prepared nanofibrous scaffolds will be effective biomaterial of tendon ligament regeneration applications. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Hierarchical MnO2 nanosheets synthesized via electrodeposition-hydrothermal method for supercapacitor electrodes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zheng, Dongdong; Qiang, Yujie; Xu, Shenying; Li, Wenpo; Yu, Shanshan; Zhang, Shengtao

2017-02-01

Metal oxides have emerged as one kind of important supercapacitor electrode materials. Herein, we report hierarchical MnO2 nanosheets prepared of indium tin oxide (ITO) coated glass substrates via a hybrid two-step protocol, including a cathodic electrodeposition technique and a hydrothermal process. The samples are characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), scanning electron microscope (SEM) with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), and transmission electron microscope (TEM). SEM and TEM images show that the as-synthesized MnO2 nanosheets are hierarchical and porous, which could increase the active surface and short paths for fast ion diffusion. The results of nitrogen adsorption-desorption analysis indicate that the BET surface area of the MnO2 nanosheets is 53.031 m2 g-1. Furthermore, the electrochemical properties of the MnO2 are elucidated by cyclic voltammograms (CV), galvanostatic charge-discharge (GCD) tests, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) in 0.1 M Na2SO4 electrolyte. The electrochemical results demonstrate that the as-grown MnO2 nanosheet exhibits an excellent specific capacitance of 335 F g-1 at 0.5 A g-1 when it is applied as a potential electrode material for an electrochemical supercapacitor. Additionally, the MnO2 nanosheet electrode also presents high rate capability and good cycling stability with 91.8% retention after 1000 cycles. These excellent properties indicate that the hierarchical MnO2 nanosheets are a potential electrode material for electrochemical supercapacitors.

Exploring transmission Kikuchi diffraction using a Timepix detector

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vespucci, S.; Winkelmann, A.; Mingard, K.; Maneuski, D.; O'Shea, V.; Trager-Cowan, C.

2017-02-01

Electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) is a well-established scanning electron microscope (SEM)-based technique [1]. It allows the non-destructive mapping of the crystal structure, texture, crystal phase and strain with a spatial resolution of tens of nanometers. Conventionally this is performed by placing an electron sensitive screen, typically consisting of a phosphor screen combined with a charge coupled device (CCD) camera, in front of a specimen, usually tilted 70° to the normal of the exciting electron beam. Recently, a number of authors have shown that a significant increase in spatial resolution is achievable when Kikuchi diffraction patterns are acquired in transmission geometry; that is when diffraction patterns are generated by electrons transmitted through an electron-transparent, usually thinned, specimen. The resolution of this technique, called transmission Kikuchi diffraction (TKD), has been demonstrated to be better than 10 nm [2,3]. We have recently demonstrated the advantages of a direct electron detector, Timepix [4,5], for the acquisition of standard EBSD patterns [5]. In this article we will discuss the advantages of Timepix to perform TKD and for acquiring spot diffraction patterns and more generally for acquiring scanning transmission electron microscopy micrographs in the SEM. Particularly relevant for TKD, is its very compact size, which allows much more flexibility in the positioning of the detector in the SEM chamber. We will furthermore show recent results using Timepix as a virtual forward scatter detector, and will illustrate the information derivable on producing images through processing of data acquired from different areas of the detector. We will show results from samples ranging from gold nanoparticles to nitride semiconductor nanorods.

Gallery of melt textures developed in Westerly Granite during high-pressure triaxial friction experiments

USGS Publications Warehouse

Moore, Diane E.; Lockner, David A.; Kilgore, Brian D.; Beeler, Nicholas M.

2016-09-23

IntroductionMelting occurred during stick-slip faulting of granite blocks sheared at room-dry, room-temperature conditions in a triaxial apparatus at 200–400 megapascals (MPa) confining pressure. Petrographic examinations of melt textures focused largely on the 400-MPa run products. This report presents an overview of the petrographic data collected on those samples, followed by brief descriptions of annotated versions of all the images.Scanning electron microscope (SEM) images of the starting materials and the three examined 400-MPa samples are presented in this report. Secondary-electron (SE) and backscattered-electron (BSE) imaging techniques were used on different samples. The SE images look down on the sawcut surfaces, yielding topographic and three-dimensional textural information. The BSE imaging was done on samples cut to provide cross-sectional views of the glass-filled shear band (or zone) that developed along the sawcut. Brightness in the BSE images increases with increasing mean atomic number of the material. Additional chemical information about the quenched melt and adjoining minerals was obtained using the energy dispersive system of the SEM during BSE examinations. However, the very narrow shear-band thicknesses and common occurrence of very fine lamellar compositional layering limited the usefulness of this technique for estimating melt chemistry.

Raman, SEM-EDS and XRPD investigations on pre-Columbian Central America "estucado" pottery

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Casanova Municchia, Annalaura; Micheli, Mario; Ricci, Maria Antonietta; Toledo, Michelle; Bellatreccia, Fabio; Lo Mastro, Sergio; Sodo, Armida

2016-03-01

Seventeen different colored fragments from six selected pre-Columbian estucado ceramics from El Salvador have been investigated by Raman spectroscopy, scanning electron microscope coupled to an energy dispersive spectrometer (SEM/EDS) and X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD). The peculiarity of this kind of ceramics consist of the unusual presence of a white engobe, traditionally termed stucco, between the ceramic body and the decoration elements, hence the name estucado ceramics. The aim of this work was to study the unusual manufacturing technique and to identify the chemical composition of the engobe and of the pigment palette. The results showed that the stucco layer is made of clay (kaolinite) with traces of titanium oxide (anatase). Remarkably, this is the same composition of the white pigments used for the decoration layer, thus excluding an early use of natural titanium oxide as a white pigment in the estucado productions as suggested in previous investigations. Moreover, the presence of kaolinite and anatase both in the stucco and in the decoration layer suggests a cold-working or low temperature technique. The red, yellow and green decorations were realized by the use of natural ochre, while in all the blue and gray decorations Maya blue pigment was identified. Finally, an amorphous carbon pigment of vegetal origin and manganese oxide were used to obtain black pigments.

Simulation and Characterization of a Miniaturized Scanning Electron Microscope

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gaskin, Jessica A.; Jerman, Gregory A.; Medley, Stephanie; Gregory, Don; Abbott, Terry O.; Sampson, Allen R.

2011-01-01

A miniaturized Scanning Electron Microscope (mSEM) for in-situ lunar investigations is being developed at NASA Marshall Space Flight Center with colleagues from the University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH), Advanced Research Systems (ARS), the University of Tennessee in Knoxville (UTK) and Case Western Reserve University (CWRU). This effort focuses on the characterization of individual components of the mSEM and simulation of the complete system. SEMs can provide information on the size, shape, morphology and chemical composition of lunar regolith. Understanding these basic properties will allow us to better estimate the challenges associated with In-Situ Resource Utilization and to improve our basic science knowledge of the lunar surface (either precluding the need for sample return or allowing differentiation of unique samples to be returned to Earth.) The main components of the mSEM prototype includes: a cold field emission electron gun (CFEG), focusing lens, deflection/scanning system and backscatter electron detector. Of these, the electron gun development is of particular importance as it dictates much of the design of the remaining components. A CFEG was chosen for use with the lunar mSEM as its emission does not depend on heating of the tungsten emitter (lower power), it offers a long operation lifetime, is orders of magnitude brighter than tungsten hairpin guns, has a small source size and exhibits low beam energy spread.

Effect of Specimen Thickness on the Creep Response of a Ni-Based Single Crystal Superalloy (PREPRINT)

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-08-01

unlimited 3.1.2. Fractography Figure 5: SEM images of a 3.18mm thick sheet specimen tested at 760◦C/758MPa. (a) The region near the fracture surface... fractography using secondary electron imaging (SE) in a scanning electron microscope (SEM). No surface oxidation was observed at this temperature. The...ruptured after 210 hours. 3.2.3. Fractography The SEM image of the reconstructed creep ruptured specimen with thickness h = 3.18mm is shown in Fig. 18a

A novel approach to TEM preparation with a (7-axis stage) triple-beam FIB-SEM system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Clarke, Jamil J.

2015-10-01

Preparation of lamellae from bulk to grid for Cs-corrected Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM) observation has mostly become routine work on the latest FIB-SEM systems, with standardized techniques that often are left to automation for the initial steps. The finalization of lamellae however, has mostly become, non-routine, non-repeatable and often driven by user experience level in most cases to produce high quality damage-less cross section. Materials processing of the latest technologies, with ever-shrinking Nano-sized structures pose challenges to modern FIB-SEM systems. This can often lead to specialized techniques and hyper-specific functions for producing ultra-thin high quality lamellae that often are lab specific, preventing practical use of such techniques across multiple materials and applications. Several factors that should be incorporated in processing fine structured materials successfully include how the use of electron and ion scan conditions can affect a thin section during ion milling, the type of ion species applied for material processing during the finalization of lamellae with gallium ions or of a smaller ion species type such as Ar/Xe, sample orientation of the lamella during the thinning process which is linked to ion beam incident angle as a direct relationship in the creation of waterfall effects or curtain effects, and how software can be employed to aid in the reduction of these artifacts with reproducible results regardless of FIB-SEM experience for site-specific lift outs. A traditional TEM preparation was performed of a fine structure specimen in pursuit of a process technique to produce a high quality TEM lamella which would address all of the factors mentioned. These new capabilities have been refined and improved upon during the FIB-SEM design and development stages with an end result of a new approach that yields an improvement in quality by the reduction of common ion milling artifacts such as curtain effects, amorphous material, and better pin pointing of the area of interest while reducing overall processing time for the TEM sample preparation process and enhancing repeatability through ease of use via software controls. The development of these new technologies, incorporating a third Ar/Xe ion beam column in conjunction with the electron and gallium ion beam column, a 7-axis stage for enhanced sample orientation with tilt functions in two axes and automated swing control along with a host of additional functions which address the factors aforementioned such as electron and ion scan techniques and curtain effect removal by the use of hardware and software components that are key to reduce typical FIB related artifacts, all of which are called "ACE [Anti Curtaining Effect] Technologies" are explained. The overall developments of these technologies are to address a significant point that productivity, throughput and repeatability are comprised by synergy between the user, application, software and hardware within a FIB-SEM system. The latest Hitachi FIB-SEM platform offers these innovations for reliability, repeatability and high quality lamella preparation for Cs-corrected (S)TEMs.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bekar, Kursat B; Miller, Thomas Martin; Patton, Bruce W

The characteristic X-rays produced by the interactions of the electron beam with the sample in a scanning electron microscope (SEM) are usually captured with a variable-energy detector, a process termed energy dispersive spectrometry (EDS). The purpose of this work is to exploit inverse simulations of SEM-EDS spectra to enable rapid determination of sample properties, particularly elemental composition. This is accomplished using penORNL, a modified version of PENELOPE, and a modified version of the traditional Levenberg Marquardt nonlinear optimization algorithm, which together is referred to as MOZAIK-SEM. The overall conclusion of this work is that MOZAIK-SEM is a promising method formore » performing inverse analysis of X-ray spectra generated within a SEM. As this methodology exists now, MOZAIK-SEM has been shown to calculate the elemental composition of an unknown sample within a few percent of the actual composition.« less

Snow crystal imaging using scanning electron microscopy: III. Glacier ice, snow and biota

USGS Publications Warehouse

Rango, A.; Wergin, W.P.; Erbe, E.F.; Josberger, E.G.

2000-01-01

Low-temperature scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to observe metamorphosed snow, glacial firn, and glacial ice obtained from South Cascade Glacier in Washington State, USA. Biotic samples consisting of algae (Chlamydomonas nivalis) and ice worms (a species of oligochaetes) were also collected and imaged. In the field, the snow and biological samples were mounted on copper plates, cooled in liquid nitrogen, and stored in dry shipping containers which maintain a temperature of -196??C. The firn and glacier ice samples were obtained by extracting horizontal ice cores, 8 mm in diameter, at different levels from larger standard glaciological (vertical) ice cores 7.5 cm in diameter. These samples were cooled in liquid nitrogen and placed in cryotubes, were stored in the same dry shipping container, and sent to the SEM facility. In the laboratory, the samples were sputter coated with platinum and imaged by a low-temperature SEM. To image the firn and glacier ice samples, the cores were fractured in liquid nitrogen, attached to a specimen holder, and then imaged. While light microscope images of snow and ice are difficult to interpret because of internal reflection and refraction, the SEM images provide a clear and unique view of the surface of the samples because they are generated from electrons emitted or reflected only from the surface of the sample. In addition, the SEM has a great depth of field with a wide range of magnifying capabilities. The resulting images clearly show the individual grains of the seasonal snowpack and the bonding between the snow grains. Images of firn show individual ice crystals, the bonding between the crystals, and connected air spaces. Images of glacier ice show a crystal structure on a scale of 1-2 mm which is considerably smaller than the expected crystal size. Microscopic air bubbles, less than 15 ??m in diameter, clearly marked the boundaries between these crystal-like features. The life forms associated with the glacier were easily imaged and studied. The low-temperature SEM sample collecting and handling methods proved to be operable in the field; the SEM analysis is applicable to glaciological studies and reveals details unattainable by conventional light microscopic methods.Low temperature scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to observe metamorphosed snow, glacial firn, and glacial ice obtained from South Cascade Glacier in Washington State, USA. Biotic samples consisting of algae and ice worms were also collected and imaged. The SEM images provide a clear and unique view of the surface of the samples because they are generated from electrons emitted or reflected only from the surface of the sample. The SEM has a great depth of field with a wide range of magnifying capabilities.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Yashchuk, V.V.; Conley, R.; Anderson, E.H.

Verification of the reliability of metrology data from high quality X-ray optics requires that adequate methods for test and calibration of the instruments be developed. For such verification for optical surface profilometers in the spatial frequency domain, a modulation transfer function (MTF) calibration method based on binarypseudo-random (BPR) gratings and arrays has been suggested and and proven to be an effective calibration method for a number of interferometric microscopes, a phase shifting Fizeau interferometer, and a scatterometer. Here we describe the details of development of binarypseudo-random multilayer (BPRML) test samples suitable for characterization of scanning (SEM) and transmission (TEM) electronmore » microscopes. We discuss the results of TEM measurements with the BPRML test samples fabricated from a WiSi{sub 2}/Si multilayer coating with pseudo-randomly distributed layers. In particular, we demonstrate that significant information about the metrological reliability of the TEM measurements can be extracted even when the fundamental frequency of the BPRML sample is smaller than the Nyquist frequency of the measurements. The measurements demonstrate a number of problems related to the interpretation of the SEM and TEM data. Note that similar BPRML testsamples can be used to characterize X-ray microscopes. Corresponding work with X-ray microscopes is in progress.« less

Fabrication of large area plasmonic nanoparticle grating structure on silver halide based transmission electron microscope film and its application as a surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy substrate

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sudheer,, E-mail: sudheer@rrcat.gov.in; Tiwari, P.; Singh, M. N.

The plasmonic responses of silver nanoparticle grating structures of different periods made on silver halide based electron microscope film are investigated. Raster scan of the conventional scanning electron microscope (SEM) is used to carry out electron beam lithography for fabricating the plasmonic nanoparticle grating (PNG) structures. Morphological characterization of the PNG structures, carried out by the SEM and the atomic force microscope, indicates that the depth of the groove decreases with a decrease in the grating period. Elemental characterization performed by the energy dispersive spectroscopy and the x-ray diffraction shows the presence of nanoparticles of silver in the PNG grating.more » The optical characterization of the gratings shows that the localized surface plasmon resonance peak shifts from 366 to 378 nm and broadens with a decrease in grating period from 10 to 2.5 μm. The surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy of the Rhodamine-6G dye coated PNG structure shows the maximum enhancement by two orders of magnitude in comparison to the randomly distributed silver nanoparticles having similar size and shape as the PNG structure.« less

Examination of oxide scales in the SEM using backscattered electron images

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Price, C. W.; Wright, I. G.; Wallwork, G. R.

1973-01-01

The complementary use of the scanning electron microscope in the backscattered electron mode with the more usual secondary electron mode results in a significant increase in the versatility of the instrument, since regions of different chemical composition can be readily detected, and their morphology examined. The use of this technique to examine complex oxide scales formed on heat-resistant alloys is described, and in particular the location of thoria particles in the scale formed on a Ni-20 wt pct Cr-2.3 wt pct ThO2 alloy, and the examination of the behavior of yttrium during the high-temperature oxidation of a Co-Cr-Al-Y alloy are discussed.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Fayomi, O. S. I., E-mail: ojosundayfayomi3@gmail.com; Department of Mechanical Engineering, Covenant University, P.M.B. 1023, Canaanland, Ota; Popoola, A. P. I.

This paper studies effects of the composite particle infringement of ZnO/Cr{sub 2}O{sub 3} on zinc rich ternary based coating. The corrosion-degradation property in 3.5% NaCl was investigatedusing polarization technique. The structural characteristics of the multilayer produce coatings were evaluated by scanning electron microscope (SEM) equipped with an energy dispersive spectrometer (EDS). The mechanical response of the coated samples was studied using a diamond base Dura –Scan) micro-hardness tester and a MTR-300 dry abrasive wear tester. The combined effect of the coatings gave highly-improved performance on microhardness, corrosion and wear damage. This also implies that protection of wind-energy structures in marinemore » environments can be achieved by composite strengthening capacity.« less

Solution combustion method for synthesis of nanostructured hydroxyapatite, fluorapatite and chlorapatite

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, Junjie; Dong, Xiaochen; Bian, Mengmeng; Zhao, Junfeng; Zhang, Yao; Sun, Yue; Chen, JianHua; Wang, XuHong

2014-09-01

Hydroxyapatite (HAP), fluorapatite (Fap) and chlorapatite (Clap) were prepared by solution combustion method with further annealing at 800 °C. The characterization and structural features of the synthesized powders were evaluated by the powder X-ray diffraction (XRD, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), scanning electron microscope (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) techniques. Characterization results from XRD and Rietveld analysis revealed that OH- in the HAP lattice were gradually substituted with the increase of F- and Cl- content and totally substituted at the molar concentration of 0.28 and 0.6, respectively. The results from FI-IR have also confirmed the incorporation of substituted anions in the apatite structure.

Impact-shocked zircons: Discovery of shock-induced textures reflecting increasing degrees of shock metamorphism

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bohor, B. F.; Betterton, W. J.; Krogh, T. E.

1993-01-01

Textural effects specifically characteristic of shock metamorphism in zircons from impact environments have not been reported previously. However, planar deformation features (PDF) due to shock metamorphism are well documented in quartz and other mineral grains from these same environments. An etching technique was developed that allows scanning electron microscope (SEM) visualization of PDF and other probable shock-induced textural features, such as granular (polycrystalline) texture, in zircons from a variety of impact shock environments. These textural features in shocked zircons from K/T boundary distal ejecta form a series related to increasing degrees of shock that should correlate with proportionate resetting of the U-Pb isotopic system.

FIB-SEM tomography in biology.

PubMed

Kizilyaprak, Caroline; Bittermann, Anne Greet; Daraspe, Jean; Humbel, Bruno M

2014-01-01

Three-dimensional information is much easier to understand than a set of two-dimensional images. Therefore a layman is thrilled by the pseudo-3D image taken in a scanning electron microscope (SEM) while, when seeing a transmission electron micrograph, his imagination is challenged. First approaches to gain insight in the third dimension were to make serial microtome sections of a region of interest (ROI) and then building a model of the object. Serial microtome sectioning is a tedious and skill-demanding work and therefore seldom done. In the last two decades with the increase of computer power, sophisticated display options, and the development of new instruments, an SEM with a built-in microtome as well as a focused ion beam scanning electron microscope (FIB-SEM), serial sectioning, and 3D analysis has become far easier and faster.Due to the relief like topology of the microtome trimmed block face of resin-embedded tissue, the ROI can be searched in the secondary electron mode, and at the selected spot, the ROI is prepared with the ion beam for 3D analysis. For FIB-SEM tomography, a thin slice is removed with the ion beam and the newly exposed face is imaged with the electron beam, usually by recording the backscattered electrons. The process, also called "slice and view," is repeated until the desired volume is imaged.As FIB-SEM allows 3D imaging of biological fine structure at high resolution of only small volumes, it is crucial to perform slice and view at carefully selected spots. Finding the region of interest is therefore a prerequisite for meaningful imaging. Thin layer plastification of biofilms offers direct access to the original sample surface and allows the selection of an ROI for site-specific FIB-SEM tomography just by its pronounced topographic features.

Construction of a Virtual Scanning Electron Microscope (VSEM)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fried, Glenn; Grosser, Benjamin

2004-01-01

The Imaging Technology Group (ITG) proposed to develop a Virtual SEM (VSEM) application and supporting materials as the first installed instrument in NASA s Virtual Laboratory Project. The instrument was to be a simulator modeled after an existing SEM, and was to mimic that real instrument as closely as possible. Virtual samples would be developed and provided along with the instrument, which would be written in Java.

Elemental distribution analysis of urinary crystals.

PubMed

Fazil Marickar, Y M; Lekshmi, P R; Varma, Luxmi; Koshy, Peter

2009-10-01

Various crystals are seen in human urine. Some of them, particularly calcium oxalate dihydrate, are seen normally. Pathological crystals indicate crystal formation initiating urinary stones. Unfortunately, many of the relevant crystals are not recognized in light microscopic analysis of the urinary deposit performed in most of the clinical laboratories. Many crystals are not clearly identifiable under the ordinary light microscopy. The objective of the present study was to perform scanning electron microscopic (SEM) assessment of various urinary deposits and confirm the identity by elemental distribution analysis (EDAX). 50 samples of urinary deposits were collected from urinary stone clinic. Deposits containing significant crystalluria (more than 10 per HPF) were collected under liquid paraffin in special containers and taken up for SEM studies. The deposited crystals were retrieved with appropriate Pasteur pipettes, and placed on micropore filter paper discs. The fluid was absorbed by thicker layers of filter paper underneath and discs were fixed to brass studs. They were then gold sputtered to 100 A and examined under SEM (Jeol JSM 35C microscope). When crystals were seen, their morphology was recorded by taking photographs at different angles. At appropriate magnification, EDAX probe was pointed to the crystals under study and the wave patterns analyzed. Components of the crystals were recognized by utilizing the data. All the samples analyzed contained significant number of crystals. All samples contained more than one type of crystal. The commonest crystals encountered included calcium oxalate monohydrate (whewellite 22%), calcium oxalate dihydrate (weddellite 32%), uric acid (10%), calcium phosphates, namely, apatite (4%), brushite (6%), struvite (6%) and octocalcium phosphate (2%). The morphological appearances of urinary crystals described were correlated with the wavelengths obtained through elemental distribution analysis. Various urinary crystals that are not reported under light microscopy could be recognized by SEM-EDAX combination. EDAX is a significant tool for recognizing unknown crystals not identified by ordinary light microscopy or SEM alone.

Scanning electron microscope automatic defect classification of process induced defects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wolfe, Scott; McGarvey, Steve

2017-03-01

With the integration of high speed Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) based Automated Defect Redetection (ADR) in both high volume semiconductor manufacturing and Research and Development (R and D), the need for reliable SEM Automated Defect Classification (ADC) has grown tremendously in the past few years. In many high volume manufacturing facilities and R and D operations, defect inspection is performed on EBeam (EB), Bright Field (BF) or Dark Field (DF) defect inspection equipment. A comma separated value (CSV) file is created by both the patterned and non-patterned defect inspection tools. The defect inspection result file contains a list of the inspection anomalies detected during the inspection tools' examination of each structure, or the examination of an entire wafers surface for non-patterned applications. This file is imported into the Defect Review Scanning Electron Microscope (DRSEM). Following the defect inspection result file import, the DRSEM automatically moves the wafer to each defect coordinate and performs ADR. During ADR the DRSEM operates in a reference mode, capturing a SEM image at the exact position of the anomalies coordinates and capturing a SEM image of a reference location in the center of the wafer. A Defect reference image is created based on the Reference image minus the Defect image. The exact coordinates of the defect is calculated based on the calculated defect position and the anomalies stage coordinate calculated when the high magnification SEM defect image is captured. The captured SEM image is processed through either DRSEM ADC binning, exporting to a Yield Analysis System (YAS), or a combination of both. Process Engineers, Yield Analysis Engineers or Failure Analysis Engineers will manually review the captured images to insure that either the YAS defect binning is accurately classifying the defects or that the DRSEM defect binning is accurately classifying the defects. This paper is an exploration of the feasibility of the utilization of a Hitachi RS4000 Defect Review SEM to perform Automatic Defect Classification with the objective of the total automated classification accuracy being greater than human based defect classification binning when the defects do not require multiple process step knowledge for accurate classification. The implementation of DRSEM ADC has the potential to improve the response time between defect detection and defect classification. Faster defect classification will allow for rapid response to yield anomalies that will ultimately reduce the wafer and/or the die yield.

Investigations of the drift mobility of carriers and density of states in nanocrystalline CdS thin films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Singh, Baljinder; Singh, Janpreet; Kaur, Jagdish; Moudgil, R. K.; Tripathi, S. K.

2016-06-01

Nanocrystalline Cadmium Sulfide (nc-CdS) thin films have been prepared on well-cleaned glass substrate at room temperature (300 K) by thermal evaporation technique using inert gas condensation (IGC) method. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis reveals that the films crystallize in hexagonal structure with preferred orientation along [002] direction. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) and Transmission electron microscope (TEM) studies reveal that grains are spherical in shape and uniformly distributed over the glass substrates. The optical band gap of the film is estimated from the transmittance spectra. Electrical parameters such as Hall coefficient, carrier type, carrier concentration, resistivity and mobility are determined using Hall measurements at 300 K. Transit time and mobility are estimated from Time of Flight (TOF) transient photocurrent technique in gap cell configuration. The measured values of electron drift mobility from TOF and Hall measurements are of the same order. Constant Photocurrent Method in ac-mode (ac-CPM) is used to measure the absorption spectra in low absorption region. By applying derivative method, we have converted the measured absorption data into a density of states (DOS) distribution in the lower part of the energy gap. The value of Urbach energy, steepness parameter and density of defect states have been calculated from the absorption and DOS spectra.

Bio-reinforced self-healing concrete using magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles.

PubMed

Seifan, Mostafa; Sarmah, Ajit K; Ebrahiminezhad, Alireza; Ghasemi, Younes; Samani, Ali Khajeh; Berenjian, Aydin

2018-03-01

Immobilization has been reported as an efficient technique to address the bacterial vulnerability for application in bio self-healing concrete. In this study, for the first time, magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (IONs) are being practically employed as the protective vehicle for bacteria to evaluate the self-healing performance in concrete environment. Magnetic IONs were successfully synthesized and characterized using different techniques. The scanning electron microscope (SEM) images show the efficient adsorption of nanoparticles to the Bacillus cells. Microscopic observation illustrates that the incorporation of the immobilized bacteria in the concrete matrix resulted in a significant crack healing behavior, while the control specimen had no healing characteristics. Analysis of bio-precipitates revealed that the induced minerals in the cracks were calcium carbonate. The effect of magnetic immobilized cells on the concrete water absorption showed that the concrete specimens supplemented with decorated bacteria with IONs had a higher resistance to water penetration. The initial and secondary water absorption rates in bio-concrete specimens were 26% and 22% lower than the control specimens. Due to the compatible behavior of IONs with the concrete compositions, the results of this study proved the potential application of IONs for developing a new generation of bio self-healing concrete.

The detection of metallic residues in skin stab wounds by means of SEM-EDS: A pilot study.

PubMed

Palazzo, Elisa; Amadasi, Alberto; Boracchi, Michele; Gentile, Guendalina; Maciocco, Francesca; Marchesi, Matteo; Zoja, Riccardo

2018-05-01

The morphological analysis of stab wounds may often not be accurate enough to link it with the type of wounding weapon, but a further evaluation may be performed with the search for metallic residues left during the contact between the instrument and the skin. In this study, Scanning Electron Microscopy-Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (SEM-EDS) was applied to the study of cadaveric stab wounds performed with kitchen knives composed of iron, chromium and nickel, in order to verify the presence of metallic residues on the wound's edge. Two groups of 10 corpses were selected: group A, including victims of stab wounds and a control group B (died of natural causes). Samplings were performed on the lesions and in intact areas of group A, whereas in group B sampling were performed in non-exposed intact skin. Samples were then analysed with optical microscopy and SEM-EDS. In group A, optical microscopic analysis showed the presence of vital haemorrhagic infiltration, while SEM-EDS showed evidence of microscopic metal traces, isolated or clustered, consisting of iron, chromium and nickel. Moreover, in two cases organic residues of calcium and phosphate were detected, as a probable sign of bone lesion. Control samples (group A in intact areas and group B), were negative for the search of exogenous material to optical microscopy and SEM-EDS. The results show the utility and possible application of the SEM-EDS in theidentification of metallic residues from sharp weapons on the skin. Copyright © 2017 The Chartered Society of Forensic Sciences. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

[Preparation of sodium alginate-nanohydroxyapatite composite material for bone repair and its biocompatibility].

PubMed

Wang, Yanmei; He, Jiacai; Li, Quanli; Shen, Jijia

2014-02-01

To prepare sodium alginate-nanohydroxyapatite composite material and to explore its feasibility as a bone repair material. Sodium alginate-nanohydroxyapatite composite material was prepared using chemical cross-linking and freeze-drying technology. The composite was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscope (SEM) and its porosity was measured by liquid displacement method. The fifth passage of bone marrow stromal stem cells (BMSCs) were incubated on the composite material and then growth was observed by inverted microscope and SEM. BMSCs were cultured with liquid extracts of the material, methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium (MTT) assay was used to calculate the relative growth rate (RGR) on 1, 3, 5 d and to evaluate the cytotoxicity. Fresh dog blood was added into the liquid extracts to conduct hemolysis test, the spectrophotometer was used to determine the optical density (OD) and to calculate the hemolysis rate. Sodium alginate-nanohydroxyapatite composite material displayed porosity, the porous pore rate was (88.6 +/- 4.5)%. BMSCs showed full stretching and vigorous growth under inverted microscope and SEM. BMSCs cultured with liquid extracts of the material had good activities. The toxicity of composite material was graded as 1. Hemolysis test results showed that the hemolysis rate of the composite material was 1.28%, thus meeting the requirement of medical biomaterials. The composite material fabricated in this study has high porosity and good biocompatibility.

Biofilm removal by 6% sodium hypochlorite activated by different irrigation techniques.

PubMed

Ordinola-Zapata, R; Bramante, C M; Aprecio, R M; Handysides, R; Jaramillo, D E

2014-07-01

To compare the removal of biofilm utilizing four irrigation techniques on a bovine root canal model. Fifty dentine specimens (2 × 2 mm) were infected with biofilm. The samples were then adapted to previously created cavities in the bovine model. The root canals were irrigated twice with 2 mL of 6% sodium hypochlorite for 2 min (4 min total). Following initial irrigation, the different treatment modalities were introduced for 60 s (3 × 20 s intervals). The evaluated techniques were needle irrigation, Endoactivator (Dentsply Tulsa Dental, Tulsa, OK, USA), passive ultrasonic irrigation and laser-activated irrigation (photon-induced photoacoustic streaming). The controls were irrigated with distilled water and conventional needle irrigation. Subsequently, the dentine samples were separated from the model and analysed using a scanning electron microscope (SEM). Fifteen operative fields were scanned per block, and SEM pictures were captured. Two calibrated evaluators examined the images and collected data using a four-degree scale. Nonparametric tests were used to evaluate for statistical significance amongst the groups. The group undergoing laser-activated irrigation using photon-induced photoacoustic streaming exhibited the most favourable results in the removal of biofilm. Passive ultrasonic irrigation scores were significantly lower than both the Endoactivator and needle irrigation scores. Sonic and needle irrigation were not significantly different. The least favourable results were found in the control group. Laser activation of 6% sodium hypochlorite significantly improved the cleaning of biofilm-infected dentine followed by passive ultrasonic irrigation. © 2013 International Endodontic Journal. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

High-energy ball milling technique for ZnO nanoparticles as antibacterial material

PubMed Central

Salah, Numan; Habib, Sami S; Khan, Zishan H; Memic, Adnan; Azam, Ameer; Alarfaj, Esam; Zahed, Nabeel; Al-Hamedi, Salim

2011-01-01

Nanoparticles of zinc oxide (ZnO) are increasingly recognized for their utility in biological applications. In this study, the high-energy ball milling (HEBM) technique was used to produce nanoparticles of ZnO from its microcrystalline powder. Four samples were ball milled for 2, 10, 20, and 50 hours, respectively. The structural and optical modifications induced in the ‘as synthesized’ nanomaterials were determined by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscope (TEM), and photoluminescence emission spectra (PL). SEM and TEM results show a gradual decrease in particle size from around 600 to ∼30 nm, with increased milling time. The initial microstructures had random shapes, while the final shape became quite spherical. XRD analysis showed ZnO in a hexagonal structure, broadening in the diffracted peaks and going from larger to smaller particles along with a relaxation in the lattice constant c. The value of c was found to increase from 5.204 to 5.217 Å with a decrease in particle size (600 to ∼30 nm). PL result showed a new band at around 365 nm, whose intensity is found to increase as the particles size decreases. These remarkable structural and optical modifications induced in ZnO nanoparticles might prove useful for various applications. The increase in c value is an important factor for increasing the antibacterial effects of ZnO, suggesting that the HEBM technique is quite suitable for producing these nanoparticles for this purpose. PMID:21720499

Optimizing Hybrid Metrology: Rigorous Implementation of Bayesian and Combined Regression.

PubMed

Henn, Mark-Alexander; Silver, Richard M; Villarrubia, John S; Zhang, Nien Fan; Zhou, Hui; Barnes, Bryan M; Ming, Bin; Vladár, András E

2015-01-01

Hybrid metrology, e.g., the combination of several measurement techniques to determine critical dimensions, is an increasingly important approach to meet the needs of the semiconductor industry. A proper use of hybrid metrology may yield not only more reliable estimates for the quantitative characterization of 3-D structures but also a more realistic estimation of the corresponding uncertainties. Recent developments at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) feature the combination of optical critical dimension (OCD) measurements and scanning electron microscope (SEM) results. The hybrid methodology offers the potential to make measurements of essential 3-D attributes that may not be otherwise feasible. However, combining techniques gives rise to essential challenges in error analysis and comparing results from different instrument models, especially the effect of systematic and highly correlated errors in the measurement on the χ 2 function that is minimized. Both hypothetical examples and measurement data are used to illustrate solutions to these challenges.

Preparation and characterization of porous Mg-Zn-Ca alloy by space holder technique

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Annur, D.; Lestari, Franciska P.; Erryani, A.; Sijabat, Fernando A.; G. P. Astawa, I. N.; Kartika, I.

2018-04-01

Magnesium had been recently researched as a future biodegradable implant material. In the recent study, porous Mg-Zn-Ca alloys were developed using space holder technique in powder metallurgy process. Carbamide (10-20%wt) was added into Mg-6Zn-1Ca (in wt%) alloy system as a space holder to create porous structure material. Sintering process was done in a tube furnace under Argon atmosphere in 610 °C for 5 hours. Porous structure of the resulted alloy was examined using Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), while the phase formation was characterized by X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD). Further, mechanical properties of porous Mg-Zn-Ca alloy was examined through compression testing. Microstructure characterization showed higher content of Carbamide in the alloy would give different type of pores. However, compression test showed that mechanical properties of Mg-Zn-Ca alloy would decrease significantly when higher content of carbamide was added.

All-photonic drying and sintering process via flash white light combined with deep-UV and near-infrared irradiation for highly conductive copper nano-ink

PubMed Central

Hwang, Hyun-Jun; Oh, Kyung-Hwan; Kim, Hak-Sung

2016-01-01

We developed an ultra-high speed photonic sintering method involving flash white light (FWL) combined with near infrared (NIR) and deep UV light irradiation to produce highly conductive copper nano-ink film. Flash white light irradiation energy and the power of NIR/deep UV were optimized to obtain high conductivity Cu films. Several microscopic and spectroscopic characterization techniques such as scanning electron microscopy (SEM), a x-ray diffraction (XRD), and Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy were employed to characterize the Cu nano-films. Optimally sintered Cu nano-ink films produced using a deep UV-assisted flash white light sintering technique had the lowest resistivity (7.62 μΩ·cm), which was only 4.5-fold higher than that of bulk Cu film (1.68 μΩ•cm). PMID:26806215

Effect of different sound atmospheres on SnO2:Sb thin films prepared by dip coating technique

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kocyigit, Adem; Ozturk, Erhan; Ejderha, Kadir; Turgut, Guven

2017-11-01

Different sound atmosphere effects were investigated on SnO2:Sb thin films, which were deposited with dip coating technique. Two sound atmospheres were used in this study; one of them was nay sound atmosphere for soft sound, another was metallic sound for hard sound. X-ray diffraction (XRD) graphs have indicated that the films have different orientations and structural parameters in quiet room, metallic and soft sound atmospheres. It could be seen from UV-Vis spectrometer measurements that films have different band gaps and optical transmittances with changing sound atmospheres. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) and AFM images of the films have been pointed out that surfaces of films have been affected with changing sound atmospheres. The electrical measurements have shown that films have different I-V plots and different sheet resistances with changing sound atmospheres. These sound effects may be used to manage atoms in nano dimensions.

All-photonic drying and sintering process via flash white light combined with deep-UV and near-infrared irradiation for highly conductive copper nano-ink.

PubMed

Hwang, Hyun-Jun; Oh, Kyung-Hwan; Kim, Hak-Sung

2016-01-25

We developed an ultra-high speed photonic sintering method involving flash white light (FWL) combined with near infrared (NIR) and deep UV light irradiation to produce highly conductive copper nano-ink film. Flash white light irradiation energy and the power of NIR/deep UV were optimized to obtain high conductivity Cu films. Several microscopic and spectroscopic characterization techniques such as scanning electron microscopy (SEM), a x-ray diffraction (XRD), and Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy were employed to characterize the Cu nano-films. Optimally sintered Cu nano-ink films produced using a deep UV-assisted flash white light sintering technique had the lowest resistivity (7.62 μΩ·cm), which was only 4.5-fold higher than that of bulk Cu film (1.68 μΩ•cm).

Multitemporal Three Dimensional Imaging of Volcanic Products on the Macro- and Micro- Scale

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carter, A. J.; Ramsey, M. S.; Durant, A. J.; Skilling, I. P.

2006-12-01

Satellite data from the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) can be processed using a nadir- and backward-viewing band at the same wavelength to generate a Digital Elevation Model (DEM) at a maximum spatial resolution of 15 metres. Bezymianny Volcano (Kamchatka Peninsula, Russia) was chosen as a test target for multitemporal DEM generation. DEMs were used to generate a layer stack and calculate coarse topographic changes from 2000 to 2006, the most significant of which was a new crater that formed in spring 2005. The eruption that occurred on 11 January 2005 produced a pyroclastic deposit on the east flank, which was mapped and from which samples were collected in August 2005. A comparison was made between field-based observations of the deposit and micron-scale roughness (analogous to vesicularity) derived from ASTER thermal infrared data following the model described in Ramsey and Fink (1999) on lava domes. In order to investigate applying this technique to the pyroclastic deposits, 18 small samples from Bezymianny were selected for Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) micron-scale analysis. The SEM image data were processed using software capable of calculating surface roughness and vesicle volume from stereo pairs: a statistical analysis of samples is presented using a high resolution grid of surface profiles. The results allow for a direct comparison to field, laboratory, and satellite-based estimates of micron-scale roughness. Prior to SEM processing, laboratory thermal emission spectra of the microsamples were collected and modelled to estimate vesicularity. Each data set was compared and assessed for coherence within the limitations of each technique. This study outlines the value of initially imaging at the macro-scale to assess major topographic changes over time at the volcano. This is followed by an example of the application of micro-scale SEM imaging and spectral deconvolution, highlighting the advantages of using multiple resolutions to analyse frequently overlapping products at Bezymianny.

Mineralogy and chemistry of urinary stones: patients from North Jordan.

PubMed

Abboud, Iyad Ahmed

2008-10-01

Urinary stone diseases are increasing in the Middle East. The majority of urinary stone cases are found in the northern part of the country. Stone samples taken from patients living in the Irbid area were collected from Princess Basma Hospital. The present study concentrates on the mineralogical and chemical composition of the urinary stones and on the effective environmental factors that assist in developing the different types of urinary stones. Using X-ray diffraction techniques, the mineralogical composition of the urinary stones was found to be as follows: oxalate, cholesten, and uric acid, with cystine stones occuring more frequently than the others. Cholesten and calcium oxalate stones are the most dominant types of stones. Calcium oxalate is the most common type of oxalate stone. Calcium oxalate is represented in: whewellite, wheddellite, and calcium carbonate oxalate hydrate minerals, in addition to other minerals such as brushite, ammonium phosphate, vaterite, valleriite, and bobierrite from other types of stones. Bobierrite (phosphate group) is a new mineral reported in urinary stones, and this has not been determined in any previous study worldwide. Apatite (calcium phosphate) is deduced using scanning electron microscope (SEM) images. The SEM technique determined crystal forms and systems, shapes, morphological features, and the names of the minerals forming urine stones, while optical properties are studied by polarizing microscope. X-ray fluorescence technique determined the concentrations of major and some trace elements. It revealed that Ca is the main constituent of the urinary stones, especially those composed of calcium oxalate and calcium phosphate. The concentration of trace elements was Ba = 1.57, P = 3.61, Fe = 1.78, S = 2.08, Zr = 4.63, Mo = 3.92, Cu = 1.89, Co = 1.56, and F = 4.2% and was higher in the urinary stones of Jordanian patients than in foreigners in the country. Questionnaires completed by patients suggest that the most significant factors directly effecting the formation of stones are water, climate conditions, food rich in protein and rich in different chemicals. Moreover, some drugs and diseases might also help in developing other stones.

Modeling a Miniaturized Scanning Electron Microscope Focusing Column - Lessons Learned in Electron Optics Simulation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Loyd, Jody; Gregory, Don; Gaskin, Jessica

2016-01-01

This presentation discusses work done to assess the design of a focusing column in a miniaturized Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) developed at the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) for use in-situ on the Moon-in particular for mineralogical analysis. The MSFC beam column design uses purely electrostatic fields for focusing, because of the severe constraints on mass and electrical power consumption imposed by the goals of lunar exploration and of spaceflight in general. The resolution of an SEM ultimately depends on the size of the focused spot of the scanning beam probe, for which the stated goal here is a diameter of 10 nanometers. Optical aberrations are the main challenge to this performance goal, because they blur the ideal geometrical optical image of the electron source, effectively widening the ideal spot size of the beam probe. In the present work the optical aberrations of the mini SEM focusing column were assessed using direct tracing of non-paraxial rays, as opposed to mathematical estimates of aberrations based on paraxial ray-traces. The geometrical ray-tracing employed here is completely analogous to ray-tracing as conventionally understood in the realm of photon optics, with the major difference being that in electron optics the lens is simply a smoothly varying electric field in vacuum, formed by precisely machined electrodes. Ray-tracing in this context, therefore, relies upon a model of the electrostatic field inside the focusing column to provide the mathematical description of the "lens" being traced. This work relied fundamentally on the boundary element method (BEM) for this electric field model. In carrying out this research the authors discovered that higher accuracy in the field model was essential if aberrations were to be reliably assessed using direct ray-tracing. This led to some work in testing alternative techniques for modeling the electrostatic field. Ultimately, the necessary accuracy was attained using a BEM/Fourier series hybrid approach. The presentation will give background remarks about the MSFC mini Lunar SEM concept and electron optics modeling, followed by a description of the alternate field modeling techniques that were tried, along with their incorporation into a ray-trace simulation. Next, the validation of this simulation against commercially available software will be discussed using an example lens as a test case. Then, the efficacy of aberration assessment using direct ray-tracing will be demonstrated, using this same validation case. The discussion will include practical error checks of the field solution. Finally, the ray-trace assessment of the MSFC mini Lunar SEM concept will be shown and discussed. The authors believe this presentation will be of general interest to practitioners of modeling and simulation, as well as those with a general optics background. Because electron optics and photon optics share many basic concepts (e.g., lenses, images, aberrations, etc.), the appeal of this presentation need not be restricted to just those interested in charged particle optics.

Practical application of HgI2 detectors to a space-flight scanning electron microscope

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bradley, J. G.; Conley, J. M.; Albee, A. L.; Iwanczyk, J. S.; Dabrowski, A. J.

1989-01-01

Mercuric iodide X-ray detectors have been undergoing tests in a prototype scanning electron microscope system being developed for unmanned space flight. The detector program addresses the issues of geometric configuration in the SEM, compact packaging that includes separate thermoelectric coolers for the detector and FET, X-ray transparent hermetic encapsulation and electrical contacts, and a clean vacuum environment.

A simplified focusing and astigmatism correction method for a scanning electron microscope

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lu, Yihua; Zhang, Xianmin; Li, Hai

2018-01-01

Defocus and astigmatism can lead to blurred images and poor resolution. This paper presents a simplified method for focusing and astigmatism correction of a scanning electron microscope (SEM). The method consists of two steps. In the first step, the fast Fourier transform (FFT) of the SEM image is performed and the FFT is subsequently processed with a threshold to achieve a suitable result. In the second step, the threshold FFT is used for ellipse fitting to determine the presence of defocus and astigmatism. The proposed method clearly provides the relationships between the defocus, the astigmatism and the direction of stretching of the FFT, and it can determine the astigmatism in a single image. Experimental studies are conducted to demonstrate the validity of the proposed method.

Sparsity-Based Super Resolution for SEM Images.

PubMed

Tsiper, Shahar; Dicker, Or; Kaizerman, Idan; Zohar, Zeev; Segev, Mordechai; Eldar, Yonina C

2017-09-13

The scanning electron microscope (SEM) is an electron microscope that produces an image of a sample by scanning it with a focused beam of electrons. The electrons interact with the atoms in the sample, which emit secondary electrons that contain information about the surface topography and composition. The sample is scanned by the electron beam point by point, until an image of the surface is formed. Since its invention in 1942, the capabilities of SEMs have become paramount in the discovery and understanding of the nanometer world, and today it is extensively used for both research and in industry. In principle, SEMs can achieve resolution better than one nanometer. However, for many applications, working at subnanometer resolution implies an exceedingly large number of scanning points. For exactly this reason, the SEM diagnostics of microelectronic chips is performed either at high resolution (HR) over a small area or at low resolution (LR) while capturing a larger portion of the chip. Here, we employ sparse coding and dictionary learning to algorithmically enhance low-resolution SEM images of microelectronic chips-up to the level of the HR images acquired by slow SEM scans, while considerably reducing the noise. Our methodology consists of two steps: an offline stage of learning a joint dictionary from a sequence of LR and HR images of the same region in the chip, followed by a fast-online super-resolution step where the resolution of a new LR image is enhanced. We provide several examples with typical chips used in the microelectronics industry, as well as a statistical study on arbitrary images with characteristic structural features. Conceptually, our method works well when the images have similar characteristics, as microelectronics chips do. This work demonstrates that employing sparsity concepts can greatly improve the performance of SEM, thereby considerably increasing the scanning throughput without compromising on analysis quality and resolution.

Novel Gas Sensor Based on ZnO Nanorod Circular Arrays for C2H5OH Gas Detection.

PubMed

Jianjiao, Zhang; Hongyan, Yue; Erjun, Guo; Shaolin, Zhang; Liping, Wang; Chunyu, Zhang; Xin, Gao; Jing, Chang; Hong, Zhang

2015-03-01

Novel side-heating gas sensor based on ZnO nanorod circular arrays was firstly fabricated by hydrothermal treatment assisted with a kind of simple dip-coating technique. The structure and morphologies of ZnO nanorods were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), respectively. XRD result indicates that the obtained ZnO nanorods have good crystalline with the hexagonal wurtzite structure. SEM result indicates that ZnO nanorod arrays are vertically growth on the surface of ceramic tube of side-heating sensor with controlled diameter and length, narrow size distribution and high orientation. The gas sensing properties of ZnO nanorod circular arrays are also evaluated. Comparative to the sensor based on scattered ZnO nanorods responding to 25 ppm H2, CO, C6H5CH3 and C2H5OH gas, respectively, the sensing values of high orientation gas sensor are generally increased by 5%. This novel sensor has good application promising for the fabrication of cost effective and high performance gas sensors.

Using SEM Analysis on Ion-Milled Shale Surface to Determine Shale-Fracturing Fluid Interaction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lu, J.; Mickler, P. J.; Nicot, J. P.

2014-12-01

It is important to document and assess shale-fluid interaction during hydraulic fracturing (HF) in order to understand its impact on flowback water chemistry and rock property. A series of autoclave experiments were conducted to react shale samples from major oil and gas shales with synthetic HF containing various additives. To better determine mineral dissolution and precipitation at the rock-fluid interface, ion-milling technique was applied to create extremely flat rock surfaces that were examined before and after the autoclave experiments using a scanning electron microscope (SEM) coupled with energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) detectors. This method is able to reveal a level of detail not observable on broken surface or mechanically polished surface. It allows direct comparison of the same mineral and organic matter particles before and after the reaction experiments. Minerals undergone dissolution and newly precipitated materials are readily determined by comparing to the exact locations before reaction. The dissolution porosity and the thickness of precipitates can be quantified by tracing and measuring the geometry of the pores and precipitates. Changes in porosity and permeability were confirmed by mercury intrusion capillary tests.

Localization of burn mark under an abnormal topography on MOSFET chip surface using liquid crystal and emission microscopy tools.

PubMed

Lau, C K; Sim, K S; Tso, C P

2011-01-01

This article focuses on the localization of burn mark in MOSFET and the scanning electron microscope (SEM) inspection on the defect location. When a suspect abnormal topography is shown on the die surface, further methods to pin-point the defect location is necessary. Fault localization analysis becomes important because an abnormal spot on the chip surface may and may not have a defect underneath it. The chip surface topography can change due to the catastrophic damage occurred at layers under the chip surface, but it could also be due to inconsistency during metal deposition in the wafer fabrication process. Two localization techniques, liquid crystal thermography and emission microscopy, were performed to confirm that the abnormal topography spot is the actual defect location. The tiny burn mark was surfaced by performing a surface decoration at the defect location using hot hydrochloric acid. SEM imaging, which has the high magnification and three-dimensional capabilities, was used to capture the images of the burn mark. Copyright © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Inhibition of Mild Steel Corrosion in Sulfuric Acid Solution by New Schiff Base

PubMed Central

Al-Amiery, Ahmed A.; Kadhum, Abdul Amir H.; Kadihum, Abdulhadi; Mohamad, Abu Bakar; How, Chong K.; Junaedi, Sutiana

2014-01-01

The efficiency of Schiff base derived from 4-aminoantipyrine, namely 2-(1,5-dimethyl-4-(2-methylbenzylidene)amino)-2-phenyl-1H-pyrazol-3(2H)-ylidene) hydrazinecarbothioamide as a corrosion inhibitor on mild steel in 1.0 M H2SO4 was investigated using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), potentiodynamic polarization (PD) and electrochemical frequently modulation (EFM) in addition to the adsorption isotherm, corrosion kinetic parameters and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The results showed that this inhibitor behaved as a good corrosion inhibitor, even at low concentration, with a mean efficiency of 93% and, also, a reduction of the inhibition efficiency as the solution temperature increases. A polarization technique and EIS were tested for different concentrations and different temperatures to reveal that this compound is adsorbed on the mild steel, therefore blocking the active sites, and the adsorption follows the Langmuir adsorption isotherm model. The excellent inhibition effectiveness of 2-(1,5-dimethyl-4-(2-methylbenzylidene)amino)-2-phenyl-1H-pyrazol-3(2H)-ylidene)hydrazinecarbothioamide was also verified by scanning electron microscope (SEM). PMID:28788488

Inhibition of Mild Steel Corrosion in Sulfuric Acid Solution by New Schiff Base.

PubMed

Al-Amiery, Ahmed A; Kadhum, Abdul Amir H; Kadihum, Abdulhadi; Mohamad, Abu Bakar; How, Chong K; Junaedi, Sutiana

2014-01-28

The efficiency of Schiff base derived from 4-aminoantipyrine, namely 2-(1,5-dimethyl-4-(2-methylbenzylidene)amino)-2-phenyl-1H-pyrazol-3(2H)-ylidene) hydrazinecarbothioamide as a corrosion inhibitor on mild steel in 1.0 M H2SO4 was investigated using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), potentiodynamic polarization (PD) and electrochemical frequently modulation (EFM) in addition to the adsorption isotherm, corrosion kinetic parameters and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The results showed that this inhibitor behaved as a good corrosion inhibitor, even at low concentration, with a mean efficiency of 93% and, also, a reduction of the inhibition efficiency as the solution temperature increases. A polarization technique and EIS were tested for different concentrations and different temperatures to reveal that this compound is adsorbed on the mild steel, therefore blocking the active sites, and the adsorption follows the Langmuir adsorption isotherm model. The excellent inhibition effectiveness of 2-(1,5-dimethyl-4-(2-methylbenzylidene)amino)-2-phenyl-1H-pyrazol-3(2H)-ylidene)hydrazinecarbothioamide was also verified by scanning electron microscope (SEM).

Anticorrosion Coating using Olea sp. Leaves Extract

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ikhmal, W. M. K. W. M.; Yasmin, M. Y. N.; Fazira, M. F. M.; Rafizah, W. A. W.; Nik, W. B. Wan; Sabri, M. G. M.

2018-04-01

Olive leaves extract (OLE) was evaluated as green corrosion inhibitor for stainless steel grade 316L (SS316L) in several media using scanning electron microscope (SEM), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and potentiodynamic polarization techniques. The Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy results reveals several active compound indicated by O-H stretch, C=O stretch, C-OH stretch and C-N stretch which can be attributed to oleuropein and hydroxtyrosol acting as the main inhibiting sources for corrosion. The results obtained also show the inhibition efficiency of OLE increase with the increase of OLE concentration. Through its inhibitive action elucidate from the electrochemical analysis, the extract was found to act as a mixed type inhibitor. Micrographs by SEM showed that the surface of steel which has been coated with 0% and 20% of OLE coating extract possess a lot of pin holes or pores while the steel with 10% of OLE coating extract shows the surface has multiple cracks. This study clearly shows the efficiency of OLE as anticorrosion coating for control of stainless steel in marine application.

The unknown planktonic foraminiferal pioneer Henry A. Buckley and his collection at The Natural History Museum, London

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rillo, Marina C.; Whittaker, John; Ezard, Thomas H. G.; Purvis, Andy; Henderson, Andrew S.; Stukins, Stephen; Miller, C. Giles

2016-12-01

The Henry Buckley Collection of Planktonic Foraminifera at the Natural History Museum in London (NHMUK) consists of 1665 single-taxon slides housing 23 897 individuals from 203 sites in all the major ocean basins, as well as a vast research library of Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) photomicrographs. Buckley picked the material from the NHMUK Ocean-Bottom Deposit Collection and also from fresh tow samples. However, his collection remains largely unused as he was discouraged by his managers in the Mineralogy Department from working on or publicizing the collection. Nevertheless, Buckley published pioneering papers on isotopic interpretation of oceanographic and climatic change and was one of the first workers to investigate foraminiferal wall structure using the SEM technique. Details of the collection and images of each slide are available via the NHMUK Data Portal (http://dx.doi.org/10.5519/0035055). The Buckley Collection and its associated Ocean-Bottom Deposit Collection have great potential for taxon-specific studies as well as geochemical work, and both collections are available on request.

Biocompatible cephalosporin-hydroxyapatite-poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid)-coatings fabricated by MAPLE technique for the prevention of bone implant associated infections

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rădulescu, Dragoş; Grumezescu, Valentina; Andronescu, Ecaterina; Holban, Alina Maria; Grumezescu, Alexandru Mihai; Socol, Gabriel; Oprea, Alexandra Elena; Rădulescu, Marius; Surdu, Adrian; Trusca, Roxana; Rădulescu, Radu; Chifiriuc, Mariana Carmen; Stan, Miruna S.; Constanda, Sabrina; Dinischiotu, Anca

2016-06-01

In this study we aimed to obtain functionalized thin films based on hydroxyapatite/poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (HAp/PLGA) containing ceftriaxone/cefuroxime antibiotics (ATBs) deposited by Matrix Assisted Pulsed Laser Evaporation (MAPLE) technique. The prepared thin films were characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-Ray diffraction (XRD), selected area electron diffraction (SAED), and infra red (IR) analysis. HAp/PLGA/ATBs thin films sustained the growth of human osteoblasts, proving their good biocompatibility. The microscopic evaluation and the culture-based quantitative assay of the E. coli biofilm development showed that the thin films inhibited the initial step of microbial attachment as well as the subsequent colonization and biofilm development on the respective surfaces. This study demonstrates that MAPLE technique could represent an appealing technique for the fabrication of antibiotics-containing polymeric implant coatings. The bioevaluation results recommend this type of surfaces for the prevention of bone implant microbial contamination and for the enhanced stimulation of the implant osseointegration process.

Ionic liquid-based observation technique for nonconductive materials in the scanning electron microscope: Application to the characterization of a rare earth ore.

PubMed

Brodusch, Nicolas; Waters, Kristian; Demers, Hendrix; Gauvin, Raynald

2014-03-01

A new approach for preparing geological materials is proposed to reduce charging during their characterization in a scanning electron microscope. This technique was applied to a sample of the Nechalacho rare earth deposit, which contains a significant amount of the minerals fergusonite and zircon. Instead of covering the specimen surface with a conductive coating, the sample was immersed in a dilute solution of ionic liquid and then air dried prior to SEM analysis. Imaging at a wide range of accelerating voltages was then possible without evidence of charging when using the in-chamber secondary and backscattered electrons detectors, even at 1 kV. High resolution x-ray and electron backscatter diffraction mapping were successfully obtained at 20 and 5 kV with negligible image drifting and permitted the characterization of the microstructure of the zircon/fergusonite-Y aggregates encased in the matrix minerals. Because of the absence of a conductive layer at the surface of the specimen, the Kikuchi band contrast was improved and the backscatter electron signal increased at both 5 and 20 kV as confirmed by Monte Carlo modeling. These major developments led to an improvement of the spatial resolution and efficiency of the above characterization techniques applied to the rare earth ore and it is expected that they can be applied to other types of ores and minerals. Copyright © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Comparative Evaluation of Smear Layer and Debris on the Canal Walls prepared with a Combination of Hand and Rotary ProTaper Technique using Scanning Electron Microscope.

PubMed

Kiran, S; Prakash, Sandeep; Siddharth, Pujari R; Saha, Supradip; Geojan, Naiza E; Ramachandran, Mookambika

2016-07-01

The effect of smear layer and debris on the success rate of endodontic treatment has not yet been definitely determined. So the present study was aimed to evaluate the amount of smear layer and debris on the canal walls prepared with a combination of hand and rotary ProTaper technique using NaOCl and ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) alternately as root canal irrigants using scanning electron microscope (SEM). Eighty intact freshly extracted human permanent mandibular premolar teeth were collected and randomly divided equally into four groups. In group I canals were prepared with hand K-Flexofiles; group II with rotary ProTaper instruments; group III with rotary ProTaper instruments and final instrumentation was done with hand K-Flexofile; group IV with rotary ProTaper instruments and final instrumentation was done with RC-Prep and irrigated with 1 mL of normal saline. In all groups canals were irrigated using NaOCl and EDTA alternately. After instrumentation, the teeth were prepared for SEM examination using five-score indices for debris and smear layer at coronal, middle, and apical third levels. Statistical analysis was performed using chi-square test (p < 0.05) and Kruskal-Wallis test (p < 0.05). Statistically significant difference was observed between the groups in cleaning the apical third. Groups I and III showed better canal cleanliness compared to group II. The use of EDTA and NaOCl in group III was more effective in removing debris and smear layer compared to EDTA and normal saline in group IV. Regardless of the instrumentation technique employed and the irrigant used, the cleaning ability decreased in the apical third, resulting in higher debris and smear layer scores compared to coronal and middle third levels. None of the instrumentation techniques in the present study could completely eliminate the smear layer and debris from the canal walls. Instrumentation of the canals with hand files after automated rotary preparation could result in cleaner canal walls. Alternate irrigation with NaOCl and EDTA is effective in the removal of debris and smear layer in the coronal and middle level, but the effectiveness in the apical third is less.

Electron Microscope Studies of Cadmium Mercury Telluride

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lyster, Martin

Available from UMI in association with The British Library. Requires signed TDF. Epitaxial layers of Cd_{x }Hg_{(1-x)}Te grown on various substrates by liquid phase epitaxy and metallo-organic vapour phase epitaxy have been studied using transmission and scanning electron microscopy, in a variety of contrast modes. Wavelength-dispersive X-ray microanalysis has been used to study interfaces in epitaxial specimens, and the results are used to derive diffusion coefficients for a range of values of x in Cd_ {x}Hg_{(1-x)} Te. Extensive use has been made of back-scattered electron contrast in the SEM as a means of compositional mapping, and defect structures are imaged by this technique. The back-scattered electron contrast at interfaces has been studied in detail and is modelled using the Monte Carlo approach. The modelling is combined with calculations and practical measurements of the probe size in the SEM instrument used in the work, to arrive at a quantitative explanation of this contrast. The SEM and scintillator detector used allow a spatial resolution of better than 1000A, but it is shown that improvements in this are possible with present technology. Scanning infra-red microscopy (SIRM) and high -resolution transmission electron microscopy (HREM) have been applied to the study of CdTe. SIRM images reveal information about Te precipitation, including particle size and density. HREM images provide results concerning dislocation structures in CdTe. Selected-area diffraction contrast TEM results are presented which illustrate the microstructure of LPE and MOVPE material; and TEM foil preparation techniques are discussed, including the choice of ion species for milling cross-sectional specimens. In view of the results obtained, suggestions are made for future work in this field.

Precise and economic FIB/SEM for CLEM: with 2 nm voxels through mitosis.

PubMed

Luckner, Manja; Wanner, Gerhard

2018-05-23

A portfolio is presented documenting economic, high-resolution correlative focused ion beam scanning electron microscopy (FIB/SEM) in routine, comprising: (i) the use of custom-labeled slides and coverslips, (ii) embedding of cells in thin, or ultra-thin resin layers for correlative light and electron microscopy (CLEM) and (iii) the claim to reach the highest resolution possible with FIB/SEM in xyz. Regions of interest (ROIs) defined in light microscope (LM), can be relocated quickly and precisely in SEM. As proof of principle, HeLa cells were investigated in 3D context at all stages of the cell cycle, documenting ultrastructural changes during mitosis: nuclear envelope breakdown and reassembly, Golgi degradation and reconstitution and the formation of the midzone and midbody.

Comparing the Marginal Adaptation of Cold Ceramic and Mineral Trioxide Aggregate by Means of Scanning Electron Microscope: An In vitro Study.

PubMed

Mokhtari, Fatemeh; Modaresi, Jalil; Javadi, Gholamreza; Davoudi, Amin; Badrian, Hamid

2015-09-01

Long-term success of endodontic surgeries is often influenced by the type of root-end filling material (RFM). The aim of present study was to compare the marginal adaptation of two different RFM, cold ceramic (CC) and mineral trioxide aggregate (MTA), using scanning electron microscope (SEM). About 20 extracted human single-rooted teeth were collected and stored into sodium hypochlorite 5.25%. The teeth were decronated from the cemento-enamel junction to prepare 16 mm roots. The working length was measured, and 1/3 coronal of the canal was prepared by Gates-Glidden drills. Apical flaring was followed by K file size # 40-70 based on step back technique. After filling of the canals, 3 mm above the apex was cut at 90° to the long axis. Furthermore, 3 mm of the filling was removed from the apical part using the ultrasonic device. All of the prepared specimens were divided into two groups and were retro filled by MTA and CC. The roots were cut horizontally from 1 mm above the apical part, and dentin-filling material interface was observed by SEM. Finally, the collected data were analyzed by Mann-Whitney test and using SPSS software version 18 at a significant level of 0.05. The mean interfacial adaptation was higher in CC group. However, no significant differences were observed by statistical test (P = 0.35). Both CC and MTA had similar marginal adaptation as RFM however in vivo studies are recommended for better determination.

Characterization of the binding of shikonin to human immunoglobulin using scanning electron microscope, molecular modeling and multi-spectroscopic methods.

PubMed

He, Wenying; Ye, Xinyu; Yao, Xiaojun; Wu, Xiuli; Lin, Qiang; Huang, Guolei; Hua, Yingjie; Hui, Yang

2015-11-05

Shikonin, one of the active components isolated from the root of Arnebia euchroma (Royle) Johnst, have anti-tumor, anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory activities and has been used clinically in phlebitis and vascular purpura. In the present work, the interaction of human immunoglobulin (HIg) with shikonin has been investigated by using scanning electron microscope (SEM), Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, fluorescence polarization, synchronous and 3D fluorescence spectroscopy in combination with molecular modeling techniques under physiological conditions with drug concentrations of 3.33-36.67 μM. The results of SEM exhibited visually the special effect on aggregation behavior of the complex formed between HIg and shikonin. The fluorescence polarization values indicated that shikonin molecules were found in a motionally unrestricted environment introduced by HIg. Molecular docking showed the shikonin moiety bound to the hydrophobic cavity of HIg, and there are four hydrogen-bonding interactions between shikonin and the residues of protein. The synchronous and 3D fluorescence spectra confirmed that shikonin could quench the intrinsic fluorescence of HIg and has an effect on the microenvironment around HIg in aqueous solution. The changes in the secondary structure of HIg were estimated by qualitative and quantitative FT-IR spectroscopic analysis. The binding constants and thermodynamic parameters for shikonin-HIg systems were obtained under different temperatures (300 K, 310 K and 320 K). The above results revealed the binding mechanism of shikonin and HIg at the ultrastructure and molecular level. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Fabrication and nanoscale characterization of magnetic multilayer nanowires

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Elawayeb, Mohamed

Magnetic multilayers nanowires are scientifically fascinating and have potential industrial applications in many areas of advanced nanotechnology. These applications arise due to the nanoscale dimensions of nanostructures that lead to unique physical properties. Magnetic multilayer nanowires have been successfully produced by electrodeposition into templates. Anodic Aluminium Oxide (AAO) membranes were used as templates in this process; the templates were fabricated by anodization method in acidic solutions at a fixed voltage. The fabrication method of a range of magnetic multilayer nanowires is described in this study and their structure and dimensions were analyzed using scanning electron microscope (SEM), Transmission electron microscope (TEM) and scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM). This study is focused on the first growth of NiFe/Pt and NiFe/Fe magnetic multilayer nanowires, which were successfully fabricated by pulse electrodeposition into the channels of porous anodic aluminium oxide (AAO) templates, and characterized at the nanoscale. Individual nanowires have uniform structure and regular periodicity. The magnetic and nonmagnetic layers are polycrystalline, with randomly oriented fcc lattice structure crystallites. Chemical compositions of the individual nanowires were analyzed using TEM equipped with energy-dispersive x-ray analysis (EDX) and electron energy loss spectrometry (EELS). The electrical and magnetoresistance properties of individual magnetic multilayer nanowires have been measured inside a SEM using two sharp tip electrodes attached to in situ nanomanipulators and a new electromagnet technique. The giant magnetoresistance (GMR) effect of individual magnetic multilayer nanowires was measured in the current - perpendicular to the plane (CPP) geometry using a new in situ method at variable magnetic field strength and different orientations..

Identification of Fragile Microscopic Structures during Mineral Transformations in Wet Supercritical CO2

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Arey, Bruce W.; Kovarik, Libor; Qafoku, Odeta

2013-04-01

In this study we examine the nature of highly fragile reaction products that form in low water content super critical carbon dioxide (scCO2) using a combination of scanning electron microscopy/focus ion beam (SEM/FIB), confocal Raman spectroscopy, helium ion microscopy (HeIM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). HeIM images show these precipitates to be fragile rosettes that can readily decompose even under slight heating from an electron beam. Using the TEM revealed details on the interfacial structure between the newly formed surface precipitates and the underlying initial solid phases. The detailed microscopic analysis revealed that the growth of the precipitates either followedmore » a tip growth mechanism with precipitates forming directly on the forsterite surface if the initial solid was non-porous (natural forsterite) or growth from the surface of the precipitates where fluid was conducted through the porous (nanoforsterite) agglomerates to the growth center. The mechanism of formation of the hydrated/hydroxylated magnesium carbonate compound (HHMC) phases offers insight into the possible mechanisms of carbonate mineral formation from scCO2 solutions which has recently received a great deal of attention as the result of the potential for CO2 to act as an atmospheric greenhouse gas and impact overall global warming. The techniques used here to examine these fragile structures an also be used to examine a wide range of fragile material surfaces. SEM and FIB technologies have now been brought together in a single instrument, which represents a powerful combination for the studies in biological, geological and materials science.« less

Microscopic neural image registration based on the structure of mitochondria

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cao, Huiwen; Han, Hua; Rao, Qiang; Xiao, Chi; Chen, Xi

2017-02-01

Microscopic image registration is a key component of the neural structure reconstruction with serial sections of neural tissue. The goal of microscopic neural image registration is to recover the 3D continuity and geometrical properties of specimen. During image registration, various distortions need to be corrected, including image rotation, translation, tissue deformation et.al, which come from the procedure of sample cutting, staining and imaging. Furthermore, there is only certain similarity between adjacent sections, and the degree of similarity depends on local structure of the tissue and the thickness of the sections. These factors make the microscopic neural image registration a challenging problem. To tackle the difficulty of corresponding landmarks extraction, we introduce a novel image registration method for Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) images of serial neural tissue sections based on the structure of mitochondria. The ellipsoidal shape of mitochondria ensures that the same mitochondria has similar shape between adjacent sections, and its characteristic of broad distribution in the neural tissue guarantees that landmarks based on the mitochondria distributed widely in the image. The proposed image registration method contains three parts: landmarks extraction between adjacent sections, corresponding landmarks matching and image deformation based on the correspondences. We demonstrate the performance of our method with SEM images of drosophila brain.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

V Yashchuk; R Conley; E Anderson

Verification of the reliability of metrology data from high quality X-ray optics requires that adequate methods for test and calibration of the instruments be developed. For such verification for optical surface profilometers in the spatial frequency domain, a modulation transfer function (MTF) calibration method based on binary pseudo-random (BPR) gratings and arrays has been suggested [1] and [2] and proven to be an effective calibration method for a number of interferometric microscopes, a phase shifting Fizeau interferometer, and a scatterometer [5]. Here we describe the details of development of binary pseudo-random multilayer (BPRML) test samples suitable for characterization of scanningmore » (SEM) and transmission (TEM) electron microscopes. We discuss the results of TEM measurements with the BPRML test samples fabricated from a WiSi2/Si multilayer coating with pseudo-randomly distributed layers. In particular, we demonstrate that significant information about the metrological reliability of the TEM measurements can be extracted even when the fundamental frequency of the BPRML sample is smaller than the Nyquist frequency of the measurements. The measurements demonstrate a number of problems related to the interpretation of the SEM and TEM data. Note that similar BPRML test samples can be used to characterize X-ray microscopes. Corresponding work with X-ray microscopes is in progress.« less

Silver nanoparticle production by Rhizopus stolonifer and its antibacterial activity against extended spectrum {beta}-lactamase producing (ESBL) strains of Enterobacteriaceae

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Banu, Afreen; Rathod, Vandana, E-mail: drvandanarathod@rediffmail.com; Ranganath, E.

Highlights: {yields} Silver nanoparticle production by using Rhizopus stolonifer. {yields} Antibacterial activity of silver nanoparticles against extended spectrum {beta}-lactamase producing (ESBL) strains of Enterobacteriaceae. {yields} Synergistic effect of antibiotics with silver nanoparticles towards ESBL-strains. {yields} Characterization of silver nanoparticles made by UV-vis spectra, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Fourier transformed infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy (AFM). -- Abstract: This report focuses on the synthesis of silver nanoparticles using the fungus, Rhizopus stolonifer and its antimicrobial activity. Research in nanotechnology highlights the possibility of green chemistry pathways to produce technologically important nanomaterials. Characterization of newly synthesized silvermore » nanoparticles was made by UV-visible absorption spectroscopy, scanning electron microscope (SEM), transmission electron microscope (TEM), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and atomic force microscope (AFM). TEM micrograph revealed the formation of spherical nanoparticles with size ranging between 3 and 20 nm. The biosynthesized silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) showed excellent antibacterial activity against ESBL-strains which includes E. coli, Proteus. sp. and Klebsiella sp.« less

Scanning electron microscope analysis of gunshot defects to bone: an underutilized source of information on ballistic trauma.

PubMed

Rickman, John M; Smith, Martin J

2014-11-01

Recent years have seen increasing involvement by forensic anthropologists in the interpretation of skeletal trauma. With regard to ballistic injuries, there is now a large literature detailing gross features of such trauma; however, less attention has been given to microscopic characteristics. This article presents analysis of experimentally induced gunshot trauma in animal bone (Bos taurus scapulae) using full metal jacket (FMJ), soft point (SP), and captive bolt projectiles. The results were examined using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Additional analysis was conducted on a purported parietal gunshot lesion in a human cranial specimen. A range of features was observed in these samples suggesting that fibrolamellar bone response to projectile impact is analogous to that observed in synthetic composite laminates. The results indicate that direction of bullet travel can be discerned microscopically even when it is ambiguous on gross examination. It was also possible to distinguish SP from FMJ lesions. SEM analysis is therefore recommended as a previously underexploited tool in the analysis of ballistic trauma. © 2014 American Academy of Forensic Sciences.

The microscopic (optical and SEM) examination of dental calculus deposits (DCD). Potential interest in forensic anthropology of a bio-archaeological method.

PubMed

Charlier, Philippe; Huynh-Charlier, Isabelle; Munoz, Olivia; Billard, Michel; Brun, Luc; de la Grandmaison, Geoffroy Lorin

2010-07-01

This article describes the potential interest in forensic anthropology of the microscopic analysis of dental calculus deposits (DCD), a calcified residue frequently found on the surface of teeth. Its sampling and analysis seem straightforward and relatively reproducible. Samples came from archaeological material (KHB-1 Ra's al-Khabbah and RH-5 Ra's al-Hamra, two Prehistoric graveyards located in the Sultanate of Oman, dated between the 5th and 4th millennium B.C.; Montenzio Vecchia, an Etruscan-Celtic necropolis from the north of Italy, dated between the 5th and 3rd century B.C.; body rests of Agnès Sorel, French royal mistress died in 1450 A.D.; skeleton of Pierre Hazard, French royal notary from the 15th century A.D.). Samples were studies by direct optical microscope (OM) or scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Many cytological, histological and elemental analyses were possible, producing precious data for the identification of these remains, the reconstitution of their alimentation and occupational habits, and propositions for manner of death. Copyright 2010 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Experimental analysis of two-layered dissimilar metals by roll bonding

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, Guanghui; Li, Yugui; Li, Juan; Huang, Qingxue; Ma, Lifeng

2018-02-01

Rolling reduction and base layers thickness have important implications for rolling compounding. A two-layered 304 stainless steel/Q345R low alloyed steel was roll bonded. The roll bonding was performed at the three thickness reductions of 25%, 40% and 55% with base layers of various thicknesses (Q345R). The microstructures of the composite were investigated by the ultra-deep microscope (OM) and scanning electron microscope (SEM) and Transmission electron microscope (TEM). Simultaneously, the mechanical properties of the composite were experimentally measured and the tensile fracture surfaces were observed by SEM. The interfaces were successfully bonded without any cracking or voids, which indicated a good fabrication of the 304/Q345R composite. The rolling reduction rate and thinning increase of the substrate contributed to the bonding effects appearance of the roll bonded sheet. The Cr and Ni enriched diffusion layer was formed by the interface elements diffusion. The Cr and Ni diffusion led to the formation of ˜10 μm wide Cr and Ni layers on the carbon steel side.

Molecularly imprinted membranes (MIMs) for selective removal of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in environmental waters: fabrication and characterization.

PubMed

Mkhize, Dennis S; Nyoni, Hlengilizwe; Quinn, Laura P; Mamba, Bhekie B; Msagati, Titus A M

2017-04-01

Molecularly imprinted membranes (MIMs) with selective removal properties for polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) were prepared through the phase inversion technique. The MIMs were obtained from casting the viscous solutions of molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs), polysulfone (PSf), and N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP) as the casting solvent. Different membranes were prepared at different concentration of MIPs and PSf. The resulting MIMs were characterized by atomic force microscope (AFM), scanning electron microscope (SEM), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Moreover, the performance of the membranes was evaluated by determining and interpreting the rejection (%), flux (F), permeability coefficient (P), permselectivity factor ( α ' PCB/DDT or anthracene ), and enrichment factors of PCBs, dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (p,p'-DDT), and anthracene from model contaminated water using the dead-end filtration cell. Molecularly imprinted membrane prepared with 18 wt% PSf and 20 wt% MIP 4 exhibited a well-defined porous structure, which was accompanied by enhanced PCB enrichment. Furthermore, molecularly imprinted membrane showed good enrichment factors for PCBs even from spiked natural water samples of Hartbeespoort dam.

SERS Detection of Dopamine Using Label-Free Acridine Red as Molecular Probe in Reduced Graphene Oxide/Silver Nanotriangle Sol Substrate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Luo, Yanghe; Ma, Lu; Zhang, Xinghui; Liang, Aihui; Jiang, Zhiliang

2015-05-01

The reduced graphene oxide/silver nanotriangle (rGO/AgNT) composite sol was prepared by the reduction of silver ions with sodium borohydride in the presence of H2O2 and sodium citrate. In the nanosol substrate, the molecular probe of acridine red (AR) exhibited a weak surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) peak at 1506 cm-1 due to its interaction with the rGO of rGO/AgNT. Upon addition of dopamine (DA), the competitive adsorption between DA and AR with the rGO took place, and the AR molecules were adsorbed on the AgNT aggregates with a strong SERS peak at 1506 cm-1 that caused the SERS peak increase. The increased SERS intensity is linear to the DA concentration in the range of 2.5-500 μmol/L. This new analytical system was investigated by SERS, fluorescence, absorption, transmission electron microscope (TEM), and scanning electron microscope (SEM) techniques, and a SERS quantitative analysis method for DA was established, using AR as a label-free molecular probe.

Preparation of a YAG:Ce phosphor glass by screen-printing technology and its application in LED packaging.

PubMed

Yang, Liang; Chen, Mingxiang; Lv, Zhicheng; Wang, Simin; Liu, Xiaogang; Liu, Sheng

2013-07-01

A simple and practical method for preparing phosphor glass is proposed. Phosphor distribution and element analysis are investigated by optical microscope and field emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM). The phosphor particles dispersed in the matrix are vividly observed, and their distributions are uniform. Spectrum distribution and color coordinates dependent on the thickness of the screen-printed phosphor layer coupled with a blue light emitting diode (LED) chip are studied. The luminous efficacy of the 75 μm printed phosphor-layer phosphor glass packaged white LED is 81.24 lm/W at 350 mA. This study opens up many possibilities for applications using the phosphor glass on a selected chip in which emission is well absorbed by all phosphors. The screen-printing technique also offers possibilities for the design and engineering of complex phosphor layers on glass substrates. Phosphor screen-printing technology allows the realization of high stability and thermal conductivity for the phosphor layer. This phosphor glass method provides many possibilities for LED packing, including thin-film flip chip and remote phosphor technology.

Tribological behavior of micro/nano-patterned surfaces in contact with AFM colloidal probe

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Xiaoliang; Wang, Xiu; Kong, Wen; Yi, Gewen; Jia, Junhong

2011-10-01

In effort to investigate the influence of the micro/nano-patterning or surface texturing on the nanotribological properties of patterned surfaces, the patterned polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) surfaces with pillars were fabricated by replica molding technique. The surface morphologies of patterned PDMS surfaces with varying pillar sizes and spacing between pillars were characterized by atomic force microscope (AFM) and scanning electron microscope (SEM). The AFM/FFM was used to acquire the friction force images of micro/nano-patterned surfaces using a colloidal probe. A difference in friction force produced a contrast on the friction force images when the colloidal probe slid over different regions of the patterned polymer surfaces. The average friction force of patterned surface was related to the spacing between the pillars and their size. It decreased with the decreasing of spacing between the pillars and the increasing of pillar size. A reduction in friction force was attributed to the reduced area of contact between patterned surface and colloidal probe. Additionally, the average friction force increased with increasing applied load and sliding velocity.

[Effect of sintering temperature on mechanical properties of dental zirconia toughened alumina ceramics].

PubMed

Fan, Jiang-Yuan; Lin, Ting-Ting; Hu, Fang-Xuan; Zheng, Rui-Bin; Fan, Fan; Ma, Jian-Feng

2017-04-01

To investigate the effect of sintering temperature on mechanical properties of dental zirconia toughened alumina (ZTA) ceramics prepared by gel-casting technique. The samples prepared by gel-casting were sintered at 1100, 1200, 1250, 1300 and 1400degrees centigrade for each group. The flexural strength, fracture toughness, Vickers hardness and brittleness index were obtained and microscopic morphology of each group was observed under scanning electron microscope (SEM). The data were statistically analyzed using SPSS 19.0 software package. The flexural strength, fracture toughness and Vickers hardness increased with the increasing sintering temperature during 1100~1400degrees centigrade. The lowest brittleness index (0.74±0.16) μm -1/2 was observed in group sintered at 1200degrees centigrade and the highest (2.76±0.14) μm -1/2 was at 1400degrees centigrade (P<0.05), while the flexural strength of these two groups was (46.89±3.24) MPa and (349.64±54.72) MPa, respectively. The ZTA dental ceramics exhibit good machinability with proper sintering temperature (1200degrees centigrade) and the strength meets the requirement of clinical application.

Electron microscopy methods in studies of cultural heritage sites

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Vasiliev, A. L., E-mail: a.vasiliev56@gmail.com; Kovalchuk, M. V.; Yatsishina, E. B.

The history of the development and application of scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and energy-dispersive X-ray microanalysis (EDXMA) in studies of cultural heritage sites is considered. In fact, investigations based on these methods began when electron microscopes became a commercial product. Currently, these methods, being developed and improved, help solve many historical enigmas. To date, electron microscopy combined with microanalysis makes it possible to investigate any object, from parchment and wooden articles to pigments, tools, and objects of art. Studies by these methods have revealed that some articles were made by ancient masters using ancient “nanotechnologies”; hence,more » their comprehensive analysis calls for the latest achievements in the corresponding instrumental methods and sample preparation techniques.« less

Microencapsulation of Flavors in Carnauba Wax

PubMed Central

Milanovic, Jelena; Manojlovic, Verica; Levic, Steva; Rajic, Nevenka; Nedovic, Viktor; Bugarski, Branko

2010-01-01

The subject of this study is the development of flavor wax formulations aimed for food and feed products. The melt dispersion technique was applied for the encapsulation of ethyl vanillin in wax microcapsules. The surface morphology of microparticles was investigated using scanning electron microscope (SEM), while the loading content was determined by HPLC measurements. This study shows that the decomposition process under heating proceeds in several steps: vanilla evaporation occurs at around 200 °C, while matrix degradation starts at 250 °C and progresses with maxima at around 360, 440 and 520 °C. The results indicate that carnauba wax is an attractive material for use as a matrix for encapsulation of flavours in order to improve their functionality and stability in products. PMID:22315575

Microencapsulation of flavors in carnauba wax.

PubMed

Milanovic, Jelena; Manojlovic, Verica; Levic, Steva; Rajic, Nevenka; Nedovic, Viktor; Bugarski, Branko

2010-01-01

The subject of this study is the development of flavor wax formulations aimed for food and feed products. The melt dispersion technique was applied for the encapsulation of ethyl vanillin in wax microcapsules. The surface morphology of microparticles was investigated using scanning electron microscope (SEM), while the loading content was determined by HPLC measurements. This study shows that the decomposition process under heating proceeds in several steps: vanilla evaporation occurs at around 200 °C, while matrix degradation starts at 250 °C and progresses with maxima at around 360, 440 and 520 °C. The results indicate that carnauba wax is an attractive material for use as a matrix for encapsulation of flavours in order to improve their functionality and stability in products.

Development of technique for AR coating and nickel and copper metallization of solar cells. FPS Project: Product development

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Taylor, W.

1982-01-01

Printed nickel overplated with copper and applied on top of a predeposited silicon nitride antireflective coating system for metallizing solar cells was analyzed. The ESL D and E paste formulations, and the new formulations F, G, H, and D-1 were evaluated. The nickel thick films were tested after firing for stability in the cleaning and plating solutions used in the Vanguard-Pacific brush plating process. It was found that the films are very sensitive to the leaning and alkaline copper solutions. Less sensitivity was displayed to the neutral copper solution. Microscopic and SEM observations show segregation of frit at the silicon nitride thick film interface with loose frit residues after lifting off plated grid lines.

Electrochemical Study of Cobalt in Urea and Choline Chloride

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Min; Shi, Zhongning; Wang, Zhaowen; Reddy, Ramana G.

The nucleation mechanism of Co(II) in urea-choline chloride-CoCl2 melt at 373 K was studied using chronoamperometry. Chronoamperometry experiments confirm that the electrodeposition of cobalt on tungsten electrode is governed by three-dimensional (3D) progressive nucleation and diffusion-controlled growth mechanisms. The average diffusion coefficient of Co(II) in the melt at 373 K is 1.1 × 10-6 cm2 s-1, which is in good agreement with the estimated value obtained from cyclic voltammetry data. Characterization of the Co electrodeposit using scanning electron microscope (SEM), energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), and X-ray diffraction (XRD) techniques indicate that the electrodeposit obtained at -0.75 V and 373 K contain dense and compact surface formed from pure cobalt metal.

Maple prepared organic heterostructures for photovoltaic applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stanculescu, A.; Socol, M.; Socol, G.; Mihailescu, I. N.; Girtan, M.; Stanculescu, F.

2011-09-01

In this study, we present the deposition of ZnPc, Alq3, and PTCDA thin films using Matrix Assisted Pulsed Laser Evaporation (MAPLE) technique. We also report the realisation of multilayer structures, made by the successive application of MAPLE. The films have been characterized by spectroscopic (UV-VIS and Photoluminescence) and microscopic (SEM and AFM) methods, and the effect of different deposition conditions such as fluence, number of pulses, and target concentration on the properties has been analysed. This paper also presents some investigations on the electrical conduction in sandwich type structures ITO or Si/organic layer/Au or Cu and ITO/double organic layer/Cu, emphasising the dominant effect of the height of the energetic barriers at the inorganic/organic and organic/organic interfaces.

Synthesis micro-scale boron nitride nanotubes at low substrate temperature

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sajjad, Muhammad, E-mail: msajjadd@gmail.com; Makarov, Vladimir; Morell, Gerardo

2016-07-15

High temperature synthesis methods produce defects in 1D nanomaterials, which ultimately limit their applications. We report here the synthesis of micro-scale boron nitride nanotubes (BNNT) at low substrate temperature (300 {sup o}C) using a pulsed CO{sub 2} laser deposition technique in the presence of catalyst. The electron microscopic analyses have shown the nanotubes distributed randomly on the surface of the substrate. The average diameter (∼0.25 μm) of a nanotube, which is the highest reported value to date, is estimated by SEM data and confirmed by TEM measurements. These nanotubes are promising for high response deep-UV photo-luminescent devices. A detailed synthesismore » mechanism is presented and correlated with the experimental results.« less

Titania inverse opals for infrared optical applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lanata, M.; Cherchi, M.; Zappettini, A.; Pietralunga, S. M.; Martinelli, M.

2001-06-01

Photonic crystals have gathered great importance in recent years. In particular macroporous materials (inverse opals) show interesting properties as photonic crystals. Ordered macroporous titanium dioxide (TiO 2) is made using polystyrene spheres as a template. Titania is chosen for its high refractive index (>2.5). Following an already known technique [E.G. Judith, J. Wijnhoven, W.L. Vos, Science 281 (1998) 802; B.T. Holland, C.F. Blanford, A. Stein, Science 281 (1998) 538; B.T. Holland, C.F. Blanford, T. Do, A. Stein, Chem. Mater. 11 (1999) 795] large-scale order in macroporous TiO 2 is obtained both using the 778 and the 3190 nm beads as documented by optical microscope and SEM images. These structures would lead to applications in the mid-infrared range.

Electron microscopy methods in studies of cultural heritage sites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vasiliev, A. L.; Kovalchuk, M. V.; Yatsishina, E. B.

2016-11-01

The history of the development and application of scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and energy-dispersive X-ray microanalysis (EDXMA) in studies of cultural heritage sites is considered. In fact, investigations based on these methods began when electron microscopes became a commercial product. Currently, these methods, being developed and improved, help solve many historical enigmas. To date, electron microscopy combined with microanalysis makes it possible to investigate any object, from parchment and wooden articles to pigments, tools, and objects of art. Studies by these methods have revealed that some articles were made by ancient masters using ancient "nanotechnologies"; hence, their comprehensive analysis calls for the latest achievements in the corresponding instrumental methods and sample preparation techniques.

Effect of Y2O3 on polyindole for high frequency capacitor application

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maji, P.; Choudhary, R. B.; Majhi, M.

2017-05-01

Polyindole-Yittrium Oxide (PIn-Y2O3) composite was synthesized in the laboratory through chemical polymerization process. The structural and morphological studies of PIn-Y2O3 composite were investigated using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopic (SEM) techniques. These studies showed that PIn-Y2O3 composite was amorphous in nature and formed with spherical granule shape. The dielectric response was measured through LCR meter in the frequency range from 100 Hz to 1 MHz. The dielectric studies revealed that incorporation of Y2O3 into polymeric matrix improved the dielectric behavior of PIn polymer and markedly suitable for its application in high frequency capacitor and many other electronic devices.

Structure and optical properties of noble metal and oxide nanoparticles dispersed in various polysaccharide biopolymers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Djoković, V.; Božanic, D. K.; Vodnik, V. V.; Krsmanović, R. M.; Trandafilovic, L. V.; Dimitrijević-Branković, S.

2011-10-01

We present the results on the structure and the optical properties of noble metal (Ag, Au) and oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles synthesized by various methods in different polysaccharide matrices such as chitosan, glycogen, alginate and starch. The structure of the obtained nanoparticles was studied in detail with microscopic techniques (TEM, SEM), while the XPS spectroscopy was used to investigate the effects at the nanoparticle-biomolecule interfaces. The antimicrobial activity of the nanocomposite films with Ag nanoparticles was tested against the Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli and Candida albicans pathogens. In addition, we will present the results on the structure and optical properties of the tryptophan amino acid functionalized silver nanoparticles dispersed in water soluble polymer matrices.

Electrochromic NiO thin films prepared by spin coating

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Özütok, F.; Demiri, S.; Özbek, E.

2017-02-01

Recently, smart windows are very important because they are often being used in smart buildings and car glasses (windows). At this point, producing effective electrochromic materials is so necessary. In this study, we produced NiO thin films by using spin coating technique on In-doped SnO2 (ITO) substrate. Nickel proportions of these nickel oxide (NiO) films are 3, 5 and 7 %. Nickel acetate tetrahydrate is the initial solution and solvents are ethylene gl ycol and n-hexzane. Structural properties and surface images are investigated by using x-ray diffactometer (XRD) and scanning electron microscope (SEM) device, respectively. In addition, electrochemical behavior is investigated by cyclic voltammetry. A correlation between surface morphology and electrochromic performance was observed as well.

Synthesis of silver nanoparticle and its application.

PubMed

Pandian, A Muthu Kumara; Karthikeyan, C; Rajasimman, M; Dinesh, M G

2015-11-01

In this work, silver nanoparticles have been synthesized by wet chemical technique, green synthesis and microbial methods. Silver nitrate (10(-3)M) was used with aqueous extract to produce silver nanoparticles. From the results it was observed that the yield of nanoparticles was high in green synthesis. The size of the silver nanoparticles was determined from Scanning Electron Microscope analysis (SEM). Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) was carried out to determine the presence of biomolecules in them. Its cytotoxic effect was studied in cancerous cell line and normal cell line. MTT assay was done to test its optimal concentration and efficacy which gives valuable information for the use of silver nanoparticles for future cancer therapy. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Ultrastructural analysis of testicular tissue and sperm by transmission and scanning electron microscopy.

PubMed

Chemes, Hector E

2013-01-01

Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) studies have provided the basis for an in-depth understanding of the cell biology and normal functioning of the testis and male gametes and have opened the way to characterize the functional role played by specific organelles in spermatogenesis and sperm function. The development of the scanning electron microscope (SEM) extended these boundaries to the recognition of cell and organ surface features and the architectural array of cells and tissues. The merging of immunocytochemical and histochemical approaches with electron microscopy has completed a series of technical improvements that integrate structural and functional features to provide a broad understanding of cell biology in health and disease. With these advances the detailed study of the intricate structural and molecular organization as well as the chemical composition of cellular organelles is now possible. Immunocytochemistry is used to identify proteins or other components and localize them in specific cells or organelles with high specificity and sensitivity, and histochemistry can be used to understand their function (i.e., enzyme activity). When these techniques are used in conjunction with electron microscopy their resolving power is further increased to subcellular levels. In the present chapter we will describe in detail various ultrastructural techniques that are now available for basic or translational research in reproductive biology and reproductive medicine. These include TEM, ultrastructural immunocytochemistry, ultrastructural histochemistry, and SEM.

SEM and TEM characterization of microstructure of stainless steel composites reinforced with TiB{sub 2}

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sulima, Iwona, E-mail: isulima@up.krakow.pl

Steel-8TiB{sub 2} composites were produced by two new sintering techniques, i.e. Spark Plasma Sintering (SPS) and High Pressure-High Temperature (HP-HT) sintering. This study discusses the impact of these sintering methods on the microstructure of steel composites reinforced with TiB{sub 2} particles. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), wavelength dispersive spectroscopy (WDS), X-ray diffraction, electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) were used to analyze the microstructure evolution in steel matrix composites. The results of microscopic examinations revealed a close relationship between the composite microstructure and the methods and conditions of sintering. Substantial differences were observed in the grain size ofmore » materials sintered by HP-HT and SPS. It has been demonstrated that the composites sintered by HP-HT tend to form a chromium-iron-nickel phase in the steel matrix. In contrast, the microstructure of the composites sintered by SPS is characterized by the presence of complex borides and chromium-iron phase. - Highlights: •The steel-8TiB{sub 2} composites were fabricated by Spark Plasma Sintering (SPS) and High Pressure-High Temperature (HP-HT). •Sintering techniques has an important effect on changes in the microstructure of steel-8TiB{sub 2} composites. •New phases of different size and morphology were identified.« less

FIB-SEM cathodoluminescence tomography: practical and theoretical considerations.

PubMed

De Winter, D A M; Lebbink, M N; Wiggers De Vries, D F; Post, J A; Drury, M R

2011-09-01

Focused ion beam-scanning electron microscope (FIB-SEM) tomography is a powerful application in obtaining three-dimensional (3D) information. The FIB creates a cross section and subsequently removes thin slices. The SEM takes images using secondary or backscattered electrons, or maps every slice using X-rays and/or electron backscatter diffraction patterns. The objective of this study is to assess the possibilities of combining FIB-SEM tomography with cathodoluminescence (CL) imaging. The intensity of CL emission is related to variations in defect or impurity concentrations. A potential problem with FIB-SEM CL tomography is that ion milling may change the defect state of the material and the CL emission. In addition the conventional tilted sample geometry used in FIB-SEM tomography is not compatible with conventional CL detectors. Here we examine the influence of the FIB on CL emission in natural diamond and the feasibility of FIB-SEM CL tomography. A systematic investigation establishes that the ion beam influences CL emission of diamond, with a dependency on both the ion beam and electron beam acceleration voltage. CL emission in natural diamond is enhanced particularly at low ion beam and electron beam voltages. This enhancement of the CL emission can be partly explained by an increase in surface defects induced by ion milling. CL emission enhancement could be used to improve the CL image quality. To conduct FIB-SEM CL tomography, a recently developed novel specimen geometry is adopted to enable sequential ion milling and CL imaging on an untilted sample. We show that CL imaging can be manually combined with FIB-SEM tomography with a modified protocol for 3D microstructure reconstruction. In principle, automated FIB-SEM CL tomography should be feasible, provided that dedicated CL detectors are developed that allow subsequent milling and CL imaging without manual intervention, as the current CL detector needs to be manually retracted before a slice can be milled. Due to the required high electron beam acceleration voltage for CL emission, the resolution for FIB-SEM CL tomography is currently limited to several hundreds of nm in XY and up to 650 nm in Z for diamonds. Opaque materials are likely to have an improved Z resolution, as CL emission generated deeper in the material is not able to escape from it. © 2011 The Authors Journal of Microscopy © 2011 Royal Microscopical Society.

Development of critical dimension measurement scanning electron microscope for ULSI (S-8000 series)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ezumi, Makoto; Otaka, Tadashi; Mori, Hiroyoshi; Todokoro, Hideo; Ose, Yoichi

1996-05-01

The semiconductor industry is moving from half-micron to quarter-micron design rules. To support this evolution, Hitachi has developed a new critical dimension measurement scanning electron microscope (CD-SEM), the model S-8800 series, for quality control of quarter- micron process lines. The new CD-SEM provides detailed examination of process conditions with 5 nm resolution and 5 nm repeatability (3 sigma) at accelerating voltage 800 V using secondary electron imaging. In addition, a newly developed load-lock system has a capability of achieving a high sample throughput of 20 wafers/hour (5 point measurements per wafer) under continuous operation. To support user friendliness, the system incorporates a graphical user interface (GUI), an automated pattern recognition system which helps locating measurement points, both manual and semi-automated operation, and user-programmable operating parameters.

Resizing metal-coated nanopores using a scanning electron microscope.

PubMed

Chansin, Guillaume A T; Hong, Jongin; Dusting, Jonathan; deMello, Andrew J; Albrecht, Tim; Edel, Joshua B

2011-10-04

Electron beam-induced shrinkage provides a convenient way of resizing solid-state nanopores in Si(3) N(4) membranes. Here, a scanning electron microscope (SEM) has been used to resize a range of different focussed ion beam-milled nanopores in Al-coated Si(3) N(4) membranes. Energy-dispersive X-ray spectra and SEM images acquired during resizing highlight that a time-variant carbon deposition process is the dominant mechanism of pore shrinkage, although granular structures on the membrane surface in the vicinity of the pores suggest that competing processes may occur. Shrinkage is observed on the Al side of the pore as well as on the Si(3) N(4) side, while the shrinkage rate is observed to be dependent on a variety of factors. Copyright © 2011 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

In-situ integrity control of frozen-hydrated, vitreous lamellas prepared by the cryo-focused ion beam-scanning electron microscope.

PubMed

de Winter, D A Matthijs; Mesman, Rob J; Hayles, Michael F; Schneijdenberg, Chris T W M; Mathisen, Cliff; Post, Jan A

2013-07-01

Recently a number of new approaches have been presented with the intention to produce electron beam transparent cryo-sections (lamellas in FIB-SEM terminology) from hydrated vitreously frozen cryo samples with a Focused Ion Beam (FIB) system, suitable for cryo-Transmission Electron Microscopy (cryo-TEM). As the workflow is still challenging and time consuming, it is important to be able to determine the integrity and suitability (cells vs. no cells; vitreous vs. crystalline) of the lamellas. Here we present an in situ method that tests both conditions by using the cryo-Scanning Electron Microscope (cryo-SEM) in transmission mode (TSEM; Transmission Scanning Electron Microscope) once the FIB-made lamella is ready. Cryo-TSEM imaging of unstained cells yields strong contrast, enabling direct imaging of material present in the lamellas. In addition, orientation contrast is shown to be suitable for distinguishing crystalline lamellas from vitreous lamellas. Tilting the stage a few degrees results in changes of contrast between ice grains as a function of the tilt angle, whereas the contrast of areas with vitreous ice remains unchanged as a function of the tilt angle. This orientation contrast has subsequently been validated by cryo-Electron BackScattered Diffraction (EBSD) in transmission mode. Integration of the presented method is discussed and the role it can play in future developments for a new and innovative all-in-one cryo-FIB-SEM life sciences instrument. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Focusing on Environmental Biofilms With Variable-Pressure Scanning Electron Microscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Joubert, L.; Wolfaardt, G. M.; Du Plessis, K.

2006-12-01

Since the term biofilm has been coined almost 30 years ago, visualization has formed an integral part of investigations on microbial attachment. Electron microscopic (EM) biofilm studies, however, have been limited by the hydrated extracellular matrix which loses structural integrity with conventional preparative techniques, and under required high-vacuum conditions, resulting in a loss of information on spatial relationships and distribution of biofilm microbes. Recent advances in EM technology enable the application of Variable Pressure Scanning Electron Microscopy (VP SEM) to biofilms, allowing low vacuum and hydrated chamber atmosphere during visualization. Environmental biofilm samples can be viewed in situ, unfixed and fully hydrated, with application of gold-sputter-coating only, to increase image resolution. As the impact of microbial biofilms can be both hazardous and beneficial to man and his environment, recognition of biofilms as a natural form of microbial existence is needed to fully assess the potential role of microbial communities on technology. The integration of multiple techniques to elucidate biofilm processes has become imperative for unraveling complex phenotypic adaptations of this microbial lifestyle. We applied VP SEM as integrative technique with traditional and novel analytical techniques to (1)localize lignocellulosic microbial consortia applied for producing alternative bio-energy sources in the mining wastewater industry, (2) characterize and visualize wetland microbial communities in the treatment of winery wastewater, and (3)determine the impact of recombinant technology on yeast biofilm behavior. Visualization of microbial attachment to a lignocellulose substrate, and degradation of exposed plant tissue, gave insight into fiber degradation and volatile fatty acid production for biological sulphate removal from mining wastewater. Also, the 3D-architecture of complex biofilms developing in constructed wetlands was correlated with molecular fingerprints of wetland communities using tRFLP (Terminal Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism) - and gave evidence of temporal and spatial variation in a wetland system, to potentially be applied as management tool in wastewater treatment. Visualization of differences in biofilm development by wild and recombinant yeast strains furthermore supported real-time quantitative data of biofilm development by Cryptococcus laurentii and Saccharomyces yeast strains. In all cases VP SEM allowed a more holistic interpretation of biofilm processes than afforded by quantitative empirical data only.

Method for observation of deembedded sections of fish gonad by scanning electron microscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mao, Lian-Ju

2000-09-01

This article reports a method for examining the intracellular structure of fish gonads using a scanning electron microscope(SEM). The specimen preparation procedure is similar to that for transmission electron microscopy wherein samples cut into semi-thin sections are fixed and embedded in plastic. The embedment matrix was removed by solvents. Risen-free specimens could be observed by SEM. The morphology of matured sperms in the gonad was very clear, and the oocyte internal structures appeared in three-dimensional images. Spheroidal nucleoli and yolk vesicles and several bundles of filaments adhered on the nucleoli could be viewed by SEM for the first time.

A SEM-correlation of the anatomy of the vitreous body: making visible the invisible.

PubMed

Jongebloed, W L; Humalda, D; Worst, J F

1986-12-30

The naked human vitreous (sclera, iris and cornea removed) suspended in water does not reveal inner structures. After ink injection into the vitreous, the presence of different compartments and the existence of cisterns becomes evident. A concept of the internal system of cisterns is given on the basis of stereoscopic-lightmicroscopic images. An attempt is made to correlate images of the complete vitreous body, obtained with a stereo-lightmicroscope, with images of segments of cisternal walls produced with a scanning electron-microscope (SEM). A comparison is made between SEM-images of the vitreous bodies of human and rabbit eyes.

Characterization of Polycapillary Optics in a TES Microcalorimeter EDS System Installed on an SEM

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Takano, A.; Maehata, K.; Iyomoto, N.; Yasuda, K.; Maeno, H.; Shiiyama, K.; Tanaka, K.

2016-08-01

Energy-dispersive spectroscopic measurements are performed using a superconducting transition-edge sensor (TES) microcalorimeter mounted on a scanning electron microscope (SEM) for advanced research at Kyushu University. Because the sensitive area of the TES microcalorimeter is about 0.02~mm2, polycapillary optics is used to collect the X-rays emitted by the SEM specimen on the TES microcalorimeter. The X-ray transmission efficiency of the polycapillary optics is obtained by analyzing the X-ray energy spectra measured by the TES microcalorimeter. The obtained transmission efficiency of the polycapillary optics is reproduced by the calculated results of the simulation.

Quantitative Secondary Electron Detector (QSED)

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Nayak, Subu; Joy, David C.

2013-12-31

Research is proposed to investigate the feasibility of applying recent advances in semiconductor technology to fabricate direct digital Quantitative Secondary Electron Detectors (QSED) for scanning electron microscopes (SEMs). If successful, commercial versions of the QSED would transform the SEM into a quantitative, metrological system with enhanced capabilities that, in turn, would broaden research horizons across industries. This project will be conducted in collaboration with Dr. David C Joy at the University of Tennessee, who has demonstrated limited (to the 1keV range) digital collection of the energy from backscattered signals in a SEM using a modified silicon drift detector. Several detectormore » configurations will be fabricated and tested for sensitivities, background noise reduction, DC offset elimination, and metrological capabilities (linearity, accuracy, etc.) against a set of commercially important performance criteria to ascertain concept feasibility. Once feasibility is proven, the solid state digital device array and its switching frequency will be scaled-up, in Phase II, to improve temporal resolution. If successful, this work will produce a crucial advancement in electron microscopy with wide-ranging applications. The following are key advantages anticipated from direct digital QSED: 1. High signal-to-noise ratio will improve SEM resolution in nano-scale, which is critical for dimensional metrology in any application. 2. Quantitative measurement will enhance process control and design validation in semiconductors, photo-voltaics, bio-medical devices and catalysts; and will improve accuracy in predicting the reliability and the lifecycle of materials across industries. 3. Video and dynamic-imaging capabilities will advance study in nano-scale phenomena in a variety of industries, including pharmaceutical and semiconductor materials. 4. Lower cost will make high-performing electron microscopes affordable to more researchers. 5. Compact size and ease of integration with imaging software will enable customers to retrofit and upgrade existing SEM equipment. ScienceTomorrow’s direct digital QSED concept has generated enthusiastic interest among a number of microscope makers, service companies, and microscope users. The company has offers of support from several companies. The roles these companies would play in supporting the project are described in the proposal. The proposed QSED advance sits squarely in the middle of ScienceTomorrow’s mission to provide next-generation technology solutions to today’s critical problems and, if successful, will further the company’s business strategy by launching an advanced, high-margin product that will enable the company and its partners to create at least 17 net-new jobs by the end of 2018.« less

PSU/WES Interlaboratory Comparative Methodology Study of an Experimental Cementitious Repository Seal Material. Report 2. Final Results.

DTIC Science & Technology

1982-03-01

meter 25 11.0 Microstructure by SEM 11.1 Introduction In order to correlate observed physical and mechanical properties in cured grout samples, a...studied at the two laboratories has proper physical properties , phase composi- tions, and microstructures for the materials used and ages covered...Scanning Electron Microscope Resolution Test Specimen ( Al -W) D. B. Ballard Research Material 100 SEM Resolution Test Specimen (AI-W)., is an alloy of

Structural equation modeling in pediatric psychology: overview and review of applications.

PubMed

Nelson, Timothy D; Aylward, Brandon S; Steele, Ric G

2008-08-01

To describe the use of structural equation modeling (SEM) in the Journal of Pediatric Psychology (JPP) and to discuss the usefulness of SEM applications in pediatric psychology research. The use of SEM in JPP between 1997 and 2006 was examined and compared to leading journals in clinical psychology, clinical child psychology, and child development. SEM techniques were used in <4% of the empirical articles appearing in JPP between 1997 and 2006. SEM was used less frequently in JPP than in other clinically relevant journals over the past 10 years. However, results indicated a recent increase in JPP studies employing SEM techniques. SEM is an under-utilized class of techniques within pediatric psychology research, although investigations employing these methods are becoming more prevalent. Despite its infrequent use to date, SEM is a potentially useful tool for advancing pediatric psychology research with a number of advantages over traditional statistical methods.

Three-dimensional imaging of adherent cells using FIB/SEM and STEM.

PubMed

Villinger, Clarissa; Schauflinger, Martin; Gregorius, Heiko; Kranz, Christine; Höhn, Katharina; Nafeey, Soufi; Walther, Paul

2014-01-01

In this chapter we describe three different approaches for three-dimensional imaging of electron microscopic samples: serial sectioning transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) tomography, and focused ion beam/scanning electron microscopy (FIB/SEM) tomography. With these methods, relatively large volumes of resin-embedded biological structures can be analyzed at resolutions of a few nm within a reasonable expenditure of time. The traditional method is serial sectioning and imaging the same area in all sections. Another method is TEM tomography that involves tilting a section in the electron beam and then reconstruction of the volume by back projection of the images. When the scanning transmission (STEM) mode is used, thicker sections (up to 1 μm) can be analyzed. The third approach presented here is focused ion beam/scanning electron microscopy (FIB/SEM) tomography, in which a sample is repeatedly milled with a focused ion beam (FIB) and each newly produced block face is imaged with the scanning electron microscope (SEM). This process can be repeated ad libitum in arbitrary small increments allowing 3D analysis of relatively large volumes such as eukaryotic cells. We show that resolution of this approach is considerably improved when the secondary electron signal is used. However, the most important prerequisite for three-dimensional imaging is good specimen preparation. For all three imaging methods, cryo-fixed (high-pressure frozen) and freeze-substituted samples have been used.

Visual force sensing with flexible nanowire buckling springs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dobrokhotov, Vladimir V.; Yazdanpanah, Mehdi M.; Pabba, Santosh; Safir, Abdelilah; Cohn, Robert W.

2008-01-01

A calibrated method of force sensing is demonstrated in which the buckled shape of a long flexible metallic nanowire, referred to as a 'nanoneedle', is interpreted to determine the applied force. An individual needle of 157 nm diameter by 15.6 µm length is grown on an atomic force microscope (AFM) cantilever with a desired orientation (by the method of Yazdanpanah et al 2005 J. Appl. Phys. 98 073510). Using a nanomanipulator the needle is buckled in the chamber of a scanning electron microscope (SEM) and the buckled shapes are recorded in SEM images. Force is determined as a function of deflection for an assumed elastic modulus by fitting the shapes using the generalized elastica model (De Bona and Zelenika 1997 Proc. Inst. Mech. Eng. C 211 509-17). In this calibration the elastic modulus (68.3 GPa) was determined using an auxiliary AFM measurement, with the needle in the same orientation as in the SEM. Following this calibration the needle was used as a sensor in a different orientation than the AFM coordinates to deflect a suspended PLLA polymer fiber from which the elastic modulus (2.96 GPa) was determined. The practical value of the sensing method does depend on the reliability and ruggedness of the needle. In this study the same needle remained rigidly secured to the AFM cantilever throughout the entire SEM/AFM calibration procedure and the characterization of the nanofiber.

3D-profile measurement of advanced semiconductor features by using FIB as reference metrology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Takamasu, Kiyoshi; Iwaki, Yuuki; Takahashi, Satoru; Kawada, Hiroki; Ikota, Masami

2017-03-01

A novel method of sub-nanometer uncertainty for the 3D-profile measurement and LWR (Line Width Roughness) measurement by using FIB (Focused Ion Beam) processing, and TEM (Transmission Electron Microscope) and CD-SEM (Critical Dimension Scanning Electron Microscope) images measurement is proposed to standardize 3D-profile measurement through reference metrology. In this article, we apply the methodology to line profile measurements and roughness measurement of advanced FinFET (Fin-shaped Field-Effect Transistor) features. The FinFET features are horizontally sliced as a thin specimen by FIB micro sampling system. Horizontally images of the specimens are obtained then by a planar TEM. LWR is calculated from the edges positions on TEM images. Moreover, we already have demonstrated the novel on-wafer 3D-profile metrology as "FIB-to-CDSEM method" with FIB slope cut and CD-SEM measuring. Using the method, a few micrometers wide on a wafer is coated and cut by 45-degree slope using FIB tool. Then, the wafer is transferred to CD-SEM to measure the cross section image by top down CD-SEM measurement. We applied FIB-to-CDSEM method to a CMOS image sensor feature. The 45-degree slope cut surface is observed using AFM. The surface profile of slope cut surface and line profiles are analyzed for improving the accuracy of FIB-to-CDSEM method.

ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY LEATHER TANNING USING ENZYMES

EPA Science Inventory

The effectiveness of the leather tanning will be evaluated by measuring shrinkage temperature, and analyzing leather structure using Scan Electron Microscope (SEM). The team will also measure leather physical/mechanical properties, including softness, tensile strength, elon...

Pore network quantification of sandstones under experimental CO2 injection using image analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Berrezueta, Edgar; González-Menéndez, Luís; Ordóñez-Casado, Berta; Olaya, Peter

2015-04-01

Automated-image identification and quantification of minerals, pores and textures together with petrographic analysis can be applied to improve pore system characterization in sedimentary rocks. Our case study is focused on the application of these techniques to study the evolution of rock pore network subjected to super critical CO2-injection. We have proposed a Digital Image Analysis (DIA) protocol that guarantees measurement reproducibility and reliability. This can be summarized in the following stages: (i) detailed description of mineralogy and texture (before and after CO2-injection) by optical and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) techniques using thin sections; (ii) adjustment and calibration of DIA tools; (iii) data acquisition protocol based on image capture with different polarization conditions (synchronized movement of polarizers); (iv) study and quantification by DIA that allow (a) identification and isolation of pixels that belong to the same category: minerals vs. pores in each sample and (b) measurement of changes in pore network, after the samples have been exposed to new conditions (in our case: SC-CO2-injection). Finally, interpretation of the petrography and the measured data by an automated approach were done. In our applied study, the DIA results highlight the changes observed by SEM and microscopic techniques, which consisted in a porosity increase when CO2 treatment occurs. Other additional changes were minor: variations in the roughness and roundness of pore edges, and pore aspect ratio, shown in the bigger pore population. Additionally, statistic tests of pore parameters measured were applied to verify that the differences observed between samples before and after CO2-injection were significant.

Synchronized voltage contrast display analysis system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Johnston, M. F.; Shumka, A.; Miller, E.; Evans, K. C. (Inventor)

1982-01-01

An apparatus and method for comparing internal voltage potentials of first and second operating electronic components such as large scale integrated circuits (LSI's) in which voltage differentials are visually identified via an appropriate display means are described. More particularly, in a first embodiment of the invention a first and second scanning electron microscope (SEM) are configured to scan a first and second operating electronic component respectively. The scan pattern of the second SEM is synchronized to that of the first SEM so that both simultaneously scan corresponding portions of the two operating electronic components. Video signals from each SEM corresponding to secondary electron signals generated as a result of a primary electron beam intersecting each operating electronic component in accordance with a predetermined scan pattern are provided to a video mixer and color encoder.

Fabrication and mechanical evaluation of hydroxyapatite/oxide nano-composite materials.

PubMed

Mohamed, Khaled R; Beherei, Hanan H; El Bassyouni, Gehan T; El Mahallawy, Nahed

2013-10-01

In the current study, the semiconducting metal oxides such as nano-ZnO and SiO2 powders were prepared via sol-gel technique and conducted on nano-hydroxyapatite (nHA) which was synthesized by chemical precipitation. The properties of fabricated nano-structured composites containing different ratios of HA, ZnO and SiO2 were examined using X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, scanning electron microscope (SEM) and transmission electron microscope (TEM) techniques. The effect of the variation of ratios between the three components on mechanical, microstructure and in-vitro properties was assessed to explore the possibility of enhancing these properties. The results proved that the mechanical properties exhibited an increment with increasing the ZnO content at the extent of HA. In-vitro study proved the formation and nucleation of apatite onto the surface of the fabricated composites after one week of immersion. It is concluded that HA composites containing SiO2 or SiO2/ZnO content had a suitable mechanical properties and ability to form apatite particles onto the composite surface. Based on bioactivity behavior, Si-HA is more bioactive than pure hydroxyapatite and nano-arrangements will provide an interface for better bone formation. Therefore, these nano-composites will be promising as bone substitutes especially in load bearing sites. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

SnO{sub 2} films: In-situ template-sacrificial growth and photovoltaic property based on SnO{sub 2}/poly(3-hexyl-thiophene) for hybrid solar cell

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zhang, Yange, E-mail: zhangygzhang@163.com; Li, Pinjiang; Xu, Xiaoyun

2015-10-15

Highlights: • SnO{sub 2} nanocrystals/thin films were fabricated on ITO glass substrate from preformed SnS thin film as sacrificial template. • The SnO{sub 2} film and SnO{sub 2}/P3HT was characterized by several techniques. • The new hybrid solar cell device was based on the hybrid thin film of SnO{sub 2} NCs and P3HT composites. - Abstract: we described a facile in-situ wet chemical method to prepare SnO{sub 2} thin film on ITO glass substrate from preformed SnS thin film as sacrificial template. The chemical conversion process of SnS to SnO{sub 2} was studied. The SnO{sub 2} film and SnO{sub 2}/P3HTmore » was characterized by several techniques, such as powder X-ray diffract meter (XRD), Raman spectrometer, scanning electron microscope (SEM), atomic force microscope (AFM) and UV–vis spectrophotometer in detail. The new SnO{sub 2}/P3HT hybrid solar cell device showed an open-circuit voltage of 0.185 V, a short-circuit current density of 0.366 mA/cm{sup 2} and a fill factor of 0.247, corresponding to a power conversion efficiency of 0.0167%.« less

Investigation of high temperature corrosion behavior on 304L austenite stainless steel in corrosive environments

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sahri, M. I.; Othman, N. K.; Samsu, Z.

2014-09-03

In this work, 304L stainless steel samples were exposed at 700 °C for 10hrs in different corrosive environments; dry oxygen, molten salt, and molten salt + dry oxygen. The corrosion behavior of samples was analyzed using weight change measurement technique, optical microscope (OM) and Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) equipped with Energy Dispersive X-ray (EDX). The existence phases of corroded sample were determined using X-ray Diffraction (XRD). The lowest corrosion rate was recorded in dry oxygen while the highest was in molten salt + dry oxygen environments with the value of 0.0062 mg/cm{sup 2} and −13.5225 mg/cm{sup 2} respectively. The surfacemore » morphology of sample in presence of salt mixture showed scale spallation. Oxide scales of Fe{sub 3}O{sub 4}, Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3} were the main phases developed and detected by XRD technique. Cr{sub 2}O{sub 3} was not developed in every sample as protective layers but chromate-rich oxide was developed. The cross-section analysis found the oxide scales were in porous, thick and non-adherent that would not an effective barrier to prevent from further degradation of alloy. EDX analysis also showed the Cr-element was low compared to Fe-element at the oxide scale region.« less

Micro-CT based modelling for characterising injection-moulded porous titanium implants.

PubMed

Chen, Junning; Chen, Liangjian; Chang, Che-Cheng; Zhang, Zhongpu; Li, Wei; Swain, Michael V; Li, Qing

2017-01-01

Design of prosthetic implants to ensure rapid and stable osseointegration remains a significant challenge, and continuous efforts have been directed to new implant materials, structures and morphology. This paper aims to develop and characterise a porous titanium dental implant fabricated by metallic powder injection-moulding. The surface morphology of the specimens was first examined with a scanning electron microscope (SEM), followed by microscopic computerised tomography (μ-CT) scanning to capture its 3D microscopic features non-destructively. The nature of porosity and pore sizes were determined statistically. A homogenisation technique based on the Hills-energy theorem was adopted to evaluate its directional elastic moduli, and the conservation of mass theorem was employed to quantify the oxygen diffusivity for bio-transportation feature. This porous medium was found to have pore sizes varying from 50 to 400 µm and the average porosity of 46.90 ± 1.83%. The anisotropic principal elastic moduli were found fairly close to the upper range of cortical bone, and the directional diffusivities could potentially enable radial osseous tissue ingrowth and vascularisation. This porous titanium successfully reduces the elastic modulus mismatch between implant and bone for dental and orthopaedic applications, and provides improved capacity for transporting oxygen, nutrient and waste for pre-vascular network formation. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Thickness-dependent multiferroic behavior of BiFe0.75Cr0.25O3 films over Pt(111)/Ti/SiO2/Si substrate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

William, R. V.; Sivaprakash, P.; Marikani, A.; Reddy, V. Raghavendra; Arumugam, S.

2018-02-01

We present here the experimental results of BiFe0.75Cr0.25O3 (BFCO) thin film deposited by sol-gel spin coating technique directly on Pt(111)/Ti/SiO2/Si substrate at different thicknesses. The crystal structure of BFCO has been investigated using X-ray diffraction which acts as a double perovskite structure with high crystallinity obtained at 400 °C. Further microscopic studies such as scanning electron microscope (SEM) with EDAX, transmission electron microscope (TEM) were also used in identifying the grain size and particle distribution over Pt (111) substrate. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) on the films at a different thickness (- 80 to - 250 nm) reveals that the surface roughness and other amplitude parameters increases with the increase in thickness signifying an increase of grain size with thickness. Increase in grain size and substrate clamping effect between the BFCO film and the substrate induces change in ferroelectric polarization and dielectric properties in relation to thickness effect. Similarly, decrease in magnetization from 9.241 emu/cm3 (- 80 nm) to 5.7791 emu/cm3 (- 250 nm) is attributed to the formation of anti-sites and anti-phase boundaries in the films. In addition, temperature dependence of magnetization reveals ferromagnetic super-exchange interaction of BFCO which is unlike the spin structure of antiferromagnetic BiFeO3.

Investigations on mechanism of self-healing and cavity filling in case of steel inoculated with seashell powder

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Habibullah, Parvaiz; Siddiqui, Ghazala; Saleem, Yasir

2017-05-01

Seashells are comprised largely of a brittle ceramic material (calcite, the stuff of chalk) in the form of microscopic slates. Shells, such as the abalones, reinforced with a kind of protein mortar in efforts to evaluate on how seashells repair themselves. We have identified the protein and mechanism on how the protein mortar stretches itself into ligaments that bridge the gap, with the help of scanning electron microscope (SEM).

The effect of immersion time to low carbon steel hardness and microstructure with hot dip galvanizing coating method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hakim, A. A.; Rajagukguk, T. O.; Sumardi, S.

2018-01-01

Along with developing necessities of metal materials, these rise demands of quality improvements and material protections especially the mechanical properties of the material. This research used hot dip galvanizing coating method. The objectives of this research were to find out Rockwell hardness (HRb), layer thickness, micro structure and observation with Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) from result of coating by using Hot Dip Galvanizing coating method with immersion time of 3, 6, 9, and 12 minutes at 460°C. The result shows that Highest Rockwell hardness test (HRb) was at 3 minutes immersion time with 76.012 HRb. Highest thickness result was 217.3 μm at 12 minutes immersion. Microstructure test result showed that coating was formed at eta, zeta, delta and gamma phases, while Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) showed Fe, Zn, Mn, Si and S elements at the specimens after coating.

Tailoring the morphology of raspberry-like carbon black/polystyrene composite microspheres for fabricating superhydrophobic surface

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bao, Yubin; Li, Qiuying, E-mail: liqy@ecust.edu.cn; Shanghai Key Laboratory Polymeric Materials

In our previous report, raspberry-like carbon black/polystyrene (CB/PS) composite microsphere was prepared through heterocoagulation process. Based on the previous study, in the present work, the morphology of raspberry-like CB/PS particle is tailored through adjusting the polarity and the concentration ratio of CB/PS colloidal suspension with the purpose to prepare particulate film for the fabrication of superhydrophobic surface. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) confirms the morphology of raspberry-like particle and the coverage of CB. Rough surfaces fabricated by raspberry-like particles with proper morphology are observed by SEM and clear evidence of superhydrophobic surface is shown. The structure of raspberry-like particle is analyzedmore » by atom force microscope. The proposed relationship between the hydrophobicity and the structure of CB aggregates on the surface of PS microsphere is discussed in details.« less

Retrieving the Quantitative Chemical Information at Nanoscale from Scanning Electron Microscope Energy Dispersive X-ray Measurements by Machine Learning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jany, B. R.; Janas, A.; Krok, F.

2017-11-01

The quantitative composition of metal alloy nanowires on InSb(001) semiconductor surface and gold nanostructures on germanium surface is determined by blind source separation (BSS) machine learning (ML) method using non negative matrix factorization (NMF) from energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) spectrum image maps measured in a scanning electron microscope (SEM). The BSS method blindly decomposes the collected EDX spectrum image into three source components, which correspond directly to the X-ray signals coming from the supported metal nanostructures, bulk semiconductor signal and carbon background. The recovered quantitative composition is validated by detailed Monte Carlo simulations and is confirmed by separate cross-sectional TEM EDX measurements of the nanostructures. This shows that SEM EDX measurements together with machine learning blind source separation processing could be successfully used for the nanostructures quantitative chemical composition determination.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Yashchuk, Valeriy V; Conley, Raymond; Anderson, Erik H

Verification of the reliability of metrology data from high quality x-ray optics requires that adequate methods for test and calibration of the instruments be developed. For such verification for optical surface profilometers in the spatial frequency domain, a modulation transfer function (MTF) calibration method based on binary pseudo-random (BPR) gratings and arrays has been suggested [Proc. SPIE 7077-7 (2007), Opt. Eng. 47(7), 073602-1-5 (2008)} and proven to be an effective calibration method for a number of interferometric microscopes, a phase shifting Fizeau interferometer, and a scatterometer [Nucl. Instr. and Meth. A 616, 172-82 (2010)]. Here we describe the details ofmore » development of binary pseudo-random multilayer (BPRML) test samples suitable for characterization of scanning (SEM) and transmission (TEM) electron microscopes. We discuss the results of TEM measurements with the BPRML test samples fabricated from a WiSi2/Si multilayer coating with pseudo randomly distributed layers. In particular, we demonstrate that significant information about the metrological reliability of the TEM measurements can be extracted even when the fundamental frequency of the BPRML sample is smaller than the Nyquist frequency of the measurements. The measurements demonstrate a number of problems related to the interpretation of the SEM and TEM data. Note that similar BPRML test samples can be used to characterize x-ray microscopes. Corresponding work with x-ray microscopes is in progress.« less

A landmark-based 3D calibration strategy for SPM

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ritter, Martin; Dziomba, Thorsten; Kranzmann, Axel; Koenders, Ludger

2007-02-01

We present a new method for the complete three-dimensional (3D) calibration of scanning probe microscopes (SPM) and other high-resolution microscopes, e.g., scanning electron microscopes (SEM) and confocal laser scanning microscopes (CLSM), by applying a 3D micrometre-sized reference structure with the shape of a cascade slope-step pyramid. The 3D reference structure was produced by focused ion beam induced metal deposition. In contrast to pitch featured calibration procedures that require separate lateral and vertical reference standards such as gratings and step height structures, the new method includes the use of landmarks, which are well established in calibration and measurement tasks on a larger scale. However, the landmarks applied to the new 3D reference structures are of sub-micrometre size, the so-called 'nanomarkers'. The nanomarker coordinates are used for a geometrical calibration of the scanning process of SPM as well as of other instrument types such as SEM and CLSM. For that purpose, a parameter estimation routine involving three scale factors and three coupling factors has been developed that allows lateral and vertical calibration in only one sampling step. With this new calibration strategy, we are able to detect deviations of SPM lateral scaling errors as well as coupling effects causing, e.g., a lateral coordinate shift depending on the measured height position of the probe.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Buck, E.C.; Dietz, N.L.; Bates, J.K.

Uranium contaminated soils from the Fernald Operation Site, Ohio, have been examined by a combination of optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy with backscattered electron detection (SEM/BSE), and analytical electron microscopy (AEM). A method is described for preparing of transmission electron microscopy (TEM) thin sections by ultramicrotomy. By using these thin sections, SEM and TEM images can be compared directly. Uranium was found in iron oxides, silicates (soddyite), phosphates (autunites), and fluorite. Little uranium was associated with clays. The distribution of uranium phases was found to be inhomogeneous at the microscopic level.

Edge-Selectively Functionalized Graphene-Like Platelets as a Co-curing Agent and a Nanoscale Additive to Epoxy Resin

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-08-12

21 For mass production , the Report Documentation Page Form ApprovedOMB No. 0704-0188 Public reporting burden for the collection of information is...analyzer. The field emission scanning electron microscope ( FE -SEM) used in this work was a NanoSem 230 (FEI, USA). High-resolution transmission...WAXD) powder patterns were recorded with a Rigaku RU-200 diffractometer using Ni-filtered Cu K radiation (40 kV, 100 mA,  = 0.15418 nm). Dynamic

Electron Microscopy of Living Cells During in Situ Fluorescence Microscopy

PubMed Central

Liv, Nalan; van Oosten Slingeland, Daan S. B.; Baudoin, Jean-Pierre; Kruit, Pieter; Piston, David W.; Hoogenboom, Jacob P.

2016-01-01

We present an approach toward dynamic nanoimaging: live fluorescence of cells encapsulated in a bionanoreactor is complemented with in situ scanning electron microscopy (SEM) on an integrated microscope. This allows us to take SEM snapshots on-demand, that is, at a specific location in time, at a desired region of interest, guided by the dynamic fluorescence imaging. We show that this approach enables direct visualization, with EM resolution, of the distribution of bioconjugated quantum dots on cellular extensions during uptake and internalization. PMID:26580231

A new method using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) for preparation of anisopterous odonates.

PubMed

Del Palacio, Alejandro; Sarmiento, Patricia Laura; Javier, Muzón

2017-10-01

Anisopterous odonate male's secondary genitalia is a complex of several structures, among them the vesica spermalis is the most informative with important specific characters. The observation of those characters, mostly of membranous nature, is difficult in the Scanning Electron Microscope due to dehydration and metallization processes. In this contribution, we discuss a new and low cost procedure for the observation of these characters in the SEM, compatible with the most common agents used for preserving specimens. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Preparation of high-quality planar FeRh thin films for in situ TEM investigations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Almeida, Trevor P.; McGrouther, Damien; Pivak, Yevheniy; Perez Garza, Hector Hugo; Temple, Rowan; Massey, Jamie; Marrows, Christopher H.; McVitie, Stephen

2017-10-01

The preparation of a planar FeRh thin film using a focused ion beam (FIB) secondary electron microscope (SEM) for the purpose of in situ transmission electron microscopy (TEM) is presented. A custom SEM stub with 45° faces allows for the transfer and milling of the sample on a TEM heating chip, whilst Fresnel imaging within the TEM revealed the presence of the magnetic domain walls, confirming the quality of the FIB-prepared sample.

Superomniphobic Surfaces for Military Applications: Nano- and Micro-Fabrication Methods: Year Two Report

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-12-01

versatility has allowed for an additional investigation on the use of the SH coating for Lab on Chip ( LOC ) and Lab on Paper (LOP) applications by spraying the...Lab On Chip ( LOC ) and Lab On Paper (LOP) devices. The study concluded that the newly developed SH coating formulation can withstand prolonged...Microscope (Carl Zeiss LEO 1430). Before SEM imaging, a gold layer of 10 nm was deposited on the sample surface. Care was taken such that CSM, SEM

Developing 3D SEM in a broad biological context

PubMed Central

Kremer, A; Lippens, S; Bartunkova, S; Asselbergh, B; Blanpain, C; Fendrych, M; Goossens, A; Holt, M; Janssens, S; Krols, M; Larsimont, J-C; Mc Guire, C; Nowack, MK; Saelens, X; Schertel, A; Schepens, B; Slezak, M; Timmerman, V; Theunis, C; Van Brempt, R; Visser, Y; GuÉRin, CJ

2015-01-01

When electron microscopy (EM) was introduced in the 1930s it gave scientists their first look into the nanoworld of cells. Over the last 80 years EM has vastly increased our understanding of the complex cellular structures that underlie the diverse functions that cells need to maintain life. One drawback that has been difficult to overcome was the inherent lack of volume information, mainly due to the limit on the thickness of sections that could be viewed in a transmission electron microscope (TEM). For many years scientists struggled to achieve three-dimensional (3D) EM using serial section reconstructions, TEM tomography, and scanning EM (SEM) techniques such as freeze-fracture. Although each technique yielded some special information, they required a significant amount of time and specialist expertise to obtain even a very small 3D EM dataset. Almost 20 years ago scientists began to exploit SEMs to image blocks of embedded tissues and perform serial sectioning of these tissues inside the SEM chamber. Using first focused ion beams (FIB) and subsequently robotic ultramicrotomes (serial block-face, SBF-SEM) microscopists were able to collect large volumes of 3D EM information at resolutions that could address many important biological questions, and do so in an efficient manner. We present here some examples of 3D EM taken from the many diverse specimens that have been imaged in our core facility. We propose that the next major step forward will be to efficiently correlate functional information obtained using light microscopy (LM) with 3D EM datasets to more completely investigate the important links between cell structures and their functions. Lay Description Life happens in three dimensions. For many years, first light, and then EM struggled to image the smallest parts of cells in 3D. With recent advances in technology and corresponding improvements in computing, scientists can now see the 3D world of the cell at the nanoscale. In this paper we present the results of high resolution 3D imaging in a number of diverse cells and tissues from multiple species. 3D reconstructions of cell structures often revealed them to be significantly more complex when compared to extrapolations made from 2D studies. Correlating functional 3D LM studies with 3D EM results opens up the possibility of making new strides in our understanding of how cell structure is connected to cell function. PMID:25623622

High temperature oxidation behavior of austenitic stainless steel AISI 304 in steam of nanofluids contain nanoparticle ZrO2

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Prajitno, Djoko Hadi, E-mail: djokohp@batan.go.id; Syarif, Dani Gustaman, E-mail: djokohp@batan.go.id

2014-03-24

The objective of this study is to evaluate high temperature oxidation behavior of austenitic stainless steel SS 304 in steam of nanofluids contain nanoparticle ZrO{sub 2}. The oxidation was performed at high temperatures ranging from 600 to 800°C. The oxidation time was 60 minutes. After oxidation the surface of the samples was analyzed by different methods including, optical microscope, scanning electron microscope (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). X-ray diffraction examination show that the oxide scale formed during oxidation of stainless steel AISI 304 alloys is dominated by iron oxide, Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3}. Minor element such as Cr{sub 2}O{sub 3} ismore » also appeared in the diffraction pattern. Characterization by optical microscope showed that cross section microstructure of stainless steel changed after oxidized with the oxide scale on the surface stainless steels. SEM and x-ray diffraction examination show that the oxide of ZrO{sub 2} appeared on the surface of stainless steel. Kinetic rate of oxidation of austenite stainless steel AISI 304 showed that increasing oxidation temperature and time will increase oxidation rate.« less

Morphological studies of the developing human esophageal epithelium.

PubMed

Ménard, D

1995-06-15

This article focusses on the structural development of human esophageal ciliated epithelium. A combination of transmission electron microscopic (TEM), scanning electron microscopic (SEM), radioautographic, and light microscopic (LM) analyses were carried out using intact fetal tissues between 8 and 20 weeks of gestation as well as cultured esophageal explants. Up to the age of 10 weeks, the stratified esophageal epithelium consisted of two longitudinal primary folds. The surface cells were undifferentiated and contained large glycogen aggregates. Between 11 and 16 weeks, the primary folds (now up to four) had developed secondary folds. The thickness of the epithelium drastically increased (123%) in concomittance with a differentiation of surface columnar ciliated cells. These highly specialized surface cells exhibited junctional complexes and well-developed organelles with numerous microvilli interspersed among the cilia. Transverse sections revealed the internal structure of the cilia with a consistent pattern of nine doublet microtubules surrounding a central pair of single microtubules. Freeze-fracture studies illustrated the presence of a ciliary necklace composed of 6 ring-like rows of intramembranous particles. They also revealed the structure of ciliary cell tight junctions consisting of up to nine anastomosing strands (P-face) or complementary grooves (E-face). Ultrastructural studies (LM, TEM, SEM) of the esophageal squamous epithelium obtained after 15 days of culture showed that the newly formed epithelium was similar to adult human epithelium. Finally LM and SEM observations established that the esophagogastric junction was not yet well delineated, consisting of a transitional area composed of a mixture of esophageal ciliated cells and gastric columnar mucous cells.

Low temperature nucleation of Griffiths Phase in Co doped LaMnO3 nanostructures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Adeela, N.; Khan, U.; Naz, S.; Iqbal, M.; Irfan, M.; Cheng, Y.

2017-11-01

We have reported magnetic properties of La1-xCoxMnO3 nanostructures synthesized by hydrothermal route. The crystal structure has been characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) technique, which shows rhombohedral perovskite structure at room temperature. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) have been used to analyse morphology and chemical composition of prepared nanoparticles. Magnetic hysteresis loops of all the samples exhibit ferromagnetic behaviour at 10 K. Inverse susceptibility graphs as a function of temperature represent deviation from Curie Weiss law. The indication for short range ferromagnetic clusters well above Curie temperature is observed due to the Griffiths Phase (GP). It is proposed that the presence of GP arises from induced size effects of La and Co ions.

Fabrication of highly oriented nanoporous fibers via airflow bubble-spinning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Fujuan; Li, Shaokai; Fang, Yue; Zheng, Fangfang; Li, Junhua; He, Jihuan

2017-11-01

Highly oriented Poly(lactic acid) (PLA) nanofibers with nanoporous structures has been successfully fabricated via airflow bubble-spinning without electrostatic hazard. In this work, the volatile solvent was necessary for preparing the nanoporous fiber, which was attributed to the competition between phase separation and solvent evaporation. The interconnected porous structures were affected by the processing variables of solution concentration, airflow temperature, collecting distance and relative humidity (RH). Besides, the rheological properties of solutions were studied and the highly oriented PLA nanofibers with nanoporous structure were also completely characterized using scanning electron microscope (SEM). This study provided a novel technique that successfully gets rid of the potential safety hazards caused by unexpected static to prepare highly oriented nanoporous fibers, which would demonstrate an impressive prospect for the fields of adsorption and filtration.

Experimental Investigation and Finite Element Analysis on Fatigue Behavior of Aluminum Alloy 7050 Single-Lap Joints

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhou, Bing; Cui, Hao; Liu, Haibo; Li, Yang; Liu, Gaofeng; Li, Shujun; Zhang, Shangzhou

2018-03-01

The fatigue behavior of single-lap four-riveted aluminum alloy 7050 joints was investigated by using high-frequency fatigue test and scanning electron microscope (SEM). Stress distributions obtained by finite element (FE) analysis help explain the fatigue performance. The fatigue test results showed that the fatigue lives of the joints depend on cold expansion and applied cyclic loads. FE analysis and fractography indicated that the improved fatigue lives can be attributed to the reduction in maximum stress and evolution of fatigue damage at the critical location. The beneficial effects of strengthening techniques result in tearing ridges or lamellar structure on fracture surface, decrease in fatigue striations spacing, delay of fatigue crack initiation, crack deflection in fatigue crack propagation and plasticity-induced crack closure.

Structural and optical properties of Ni-doped CdS thin films prepared by chemical bath deposition method

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Premarani, R.; Saravanakumar, S., E-mail: sarophy84@gmail.com; Chandramohan, R.

2015-06-24

The structural and optical behavior of undoped Cadmiun Sulphide (CdS) and Ni-doped CdS thinfilms prepared by Chemical Bath Deposition (CBD) technique is reported. The crystallite sizes of the thinfilms have been characterized by X-ray diffraction pattern (XRD). The particle sizes increase with the increase of Ni content in the CdS thinfilms. Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) results indicated that CdS thinfilms is made up of aggregate of spherical-like particles. The composition was estimated by Energy Dispersive Analysis of X-ray (EDX) and reported. Spectroscopic studies revealed considerable improvement in transmission and the band gap of the films changes with addition of Nimore » dopant that is associated with variation in crystallite sizes in the nano regime.« less

Adsorption and inhibitive properties of sildenafil (Viagra) for zinc in hydrochloric acid solution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fouda, A. S.; Ibrahim, H.; Atef, M.

Sildenafil (Viagra) was investigated as corrosion inhibitor for Zn in 1 M HCl solution using chemical and electrochemical methods at 25 °C. Electrochemical results showed that this drug is efficient inhibitor for Zn in HCl and the inhibition efficiency (IE) reached to 91% at 300 ppm. The IE increases with the drug concentration and decreases with increasing temperature. The adsorption of this drug on Zn surface follows Langmuir adsorption isotherm. The polarization plots revealed that Sildenafil acts as a mixed-type inhibitor. The thermodynamic parameters of activation and adsorption were calculated and discussed. The surface morphology of the Zn specimens was evaluated using scanning electron microscope (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray (EDX), atomic force microscopy (AFM) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) techniques.

Corrosion Behavior of Zirconium Treated Mild Steel with and Without Organic Coating: a Comparative Study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ghanbari, Alireza; Attar, Mohammadreza Mohammadzade

2014-10-01

In this study, the anti-corrosion performance of phosphated and zirconium treated mild steel (ZTMS) with and without organic coating was evaluated using AC and DC electrochemical techniques. The topography and morphology of the zirconium treated samples were studied using atomic force microscopy (AFM) and field emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM) respectively. The results revealed that the anti-corrosion performance of the phosphate layer was superior to the zirconium conversion layer without an organic coating due to very low thickness and porous nature of the ZTMS. Additionally, the corrosion behavior of the organic coated substrates was substantially different. It was found that the corrosion protection performance of the phosphate steel and ZTMS with an organic coating is in the same order.

Protective Behavior of Poly(m-aminophenol) and Polypyrrole Coatings on Mild Steel

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yahaya, Sabrina M.; Harun, M. K.; Rosmamuhamadani, R.; Bonnia, N. N.; Ratim, S.

2018-01-01

Electrodeposition of polypyrrole (PPy) and poly (m-aminophenol) (PMAP) films on mild steel (MS) substrate was achieved in 0.3M oxalic acid solution and 0.3M NaOH, water:ethanol (70:30) solvent respectively using cyclic voltammetry technique. The morphology of the films constructed was determined by scanning electron microscope (SEM) while energy dispersive X-Ray analyzer (EDX) was used to establish the presence of organic PMAP and PPy film coating and its compositions. The corrosion performance of MS coated with both polymer films were investigated after 0.5 hours immersed in 0.5M NaCl aqueous solution by using polarization curves. It was found that PPy coating provides anodic protection while PMAP coating provides cathodic protection towards corrosion protection of mild steel substrate.

A Monochromatic, Aberration-Corrected, Dual-Beam Low Energy Electron Microscope

PubMed Central

Mankos, Marian; Shadman, Khashayar

2013-01-01

The monochromatic, aberration-corrected, dual-beam low energy electron microscope (MAD-LEEM) is a novel instrument aimed at imaging of nanostructures and surfaces at sub-nanometer resolution that includes a monochromator, aberration corrector and dual beam illumination. The monochromator reduces the energy spread of the illuminating electron beam, which significantly improves spectroscopic and spatial resolution. The aberration corrector utilizes an electron mirror with negative aberrations that can be used to compensate the aberrations of the LEEM objective lens for a range of electron energies. Dual flood illumination eliminates charging generated when a conventional LEEM is used to image insulating specimens. MAD-LEEM is designed for the purpose of imaging biological and insulating specimens, which are difficult to image with conventional LEEM, Low-Voltage SEM, and TEM instruments. The MAD-LEEM instrument can also be used as a general purpose LEEM with significantly improved resolution. The low impact energy of the electrons is critical for avoiding beam damage, as high energy electrons with keV kinetic energies used in SEMs and TEMs cause irreversible change to many specimens, in particular biological materials. A potential application for MAD-LEEM is in DNA sequencing, which demands imaging techniques that enable DNA sequencing at high resolution and speed, and at low cost. The key advantages of the MAD-LEEM approach for this application are the low electron impact energies, the long read lengths, and the absence of heavy-atom DNA labeling. Image contrast simulations of the detectability of individual nucleotides in a DNA strand have been developed in order to refine the optics blur and DNA base contrast requirements for this application. PMID:23582636

A monochromatic, aberration-corrected, dual-beam low energy electron microscope.

PubMed

Mankos, Marian; Shadman, Khashayar

2013-07-01

The monochromatic, aberration-corrected, dual-beam low energy electron microscope (MAD-LEEM) is a novel instrument aimed at imaging of nanostructures and surfaces at sub-nanometer resolution that includes a monochromator, aberration corrector and dual beam illumination. The monochromator reduces the energy spread of the illuminating electron beam, which significantly improves spectroscopic and spatial resolution. The aberration corrector utilizes an electron mirror with negative aberrations that can be used to compensate the aberrations of the LEEM objective lens for a range of electron energies. Dual flood illumination eliminates charging generated when a conventional LEEM is used to image insulating specimens. MAD-LEEM is designed for the purpose of imaging biological and insulating specimens, which are difficult to image with conventional LEEM, Low-Voltage SEM, and TEM instruments. The MAD-LEEM instrument can also be used as a general purpose LEEM with significantly improved resolution. The low impact energy of the electrons is critical for avoiding beam damage, as high energy electrons with keV kinetic energies used in SEMs and TEMs cause irreversible change to many specimens, in particular biological materials. A potential application for MAD-LEEM is in DNA sequencing, which demands imaging techniques that enable DNA sequencing at high resolution and speed, and at low cost. The key advantages of the MAD-LEEM approach for this application are the low electron impact energies, the long read lengths, and the absence of heavy-atom DNA labeling. Image contrast simulations of the detectability of individual nucleotides in a DNA strand have been developed in order to refine the optics blur and DNA base contrast requirements for this application. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Sharing of secondary electrons by in-lens and out-lens detector in low-voltage scanning electron microscope equipped with immersion lens.

PubMed

Kumagai, Kazuhiro; Sekiguchi, Takashi

2009-03-01

To understand secondary electron (SE) image formation with in-lens and out-lens detector in low-voltage scanning electron microscopy (LV-SEM), we have evaluated SE signals of an in-lens and an out-lens detector in LV-SEM. From the energy distribution spectra of SEs with various boosting voltages of the immersion lens system, we revealed that the electrostatic field of the immersion lens mainly collects electrons with energy lower than 40eV, acting as a low-pass filter. This effect is also observed as a contrast change in LV-SEM images taken by in-lens and out-lens detectors.

A multi-analytical approach for the characterization of wall painting materials on contemporary buildings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Magrini, Donata; Bracci, Susanna; Cantisani, Emma; Conti, Claudia; Rava, Antonio; Sansonetti, Antonio; Shank, Will; Colombini, MariaPerla

2017-02-01

Samples from Keith Haring's wall painting of the Necker Children Hospital in Paris were studied by a multi-analytical protocol. X-ray fluorescence (XRF), powder X-ray diffraction (XRDP), Electron microscope (SEM-EDS), Infrared and Raman spectroscopy (μ-FT-IR and μ-Raman) measurements were performed in order to characterize the materials and to identify the art technique used to produce this contemporary work. Materials from the mural suffered from severe detachments of materials and several fragments were found on the ground beneath. Some of these fragments, which were representative of the whole palette and stratigraphic sequence, were collected and studied. The fragments were sufficiently large to enable non-invasive measurements to be performed in order to characterize the materials. A comparison of the data of the techniques applied revealed that Haring's palette was composed of organic pigments such as Naphtol red, phthalocyanine blue and green and Hansa yellow, in accordance with those used previously by the artist in other painted murals.

Cyclic oxidation behavior of plasma sprayed NiCrAlY/WC-Co/cenosphere coating

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mathapati, Mahantayya; Ramesh M., R.; Doddamani, Mrityunjay

2018-04-01

Components working at elevated temperature like boiler tubes of coal and gas fired power generation plants, blades of gas and steam turbines etc. experience degradation owing to oxidation. Oxidation resistance of such components can be increased by developing protective coatings. In the present investigation NiCrAlY-WC-Co/Cenosphere coating is deposited on MDN 321 steel substrate using plasma spray coating. Thermo cyclic oxidation behavior of coating and substrate is studied in static air at 600 °C for 20 cycles. The thermo gravimetric technique is used to approximate the kinetics of oxidation. X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS) and X-ray mapping techniques are used to characterize the oxidized samples. NiCrAlY-WC-Co/Cenosphere coating exhibited lower oxidation rate in comparison to MDN 321 steel substrate. The lower oxidation rate of coating is attributed to formation of Al2O3, Cr2O3, NiO and CoWO4 oxides on the outermost surface.

Machining and characterization of self-reinforced polymers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Deepa, A.; Padmanabhan, K.; Kuppan, P.

2017-11-01

This Paper focuses on obtaining the mechanical properties and the effect of the different machining techniques on self-reinforced composites sample and to derive the best machining method with remarkable properties. Each sample was tested by the Tensile and Flexural tests, fabricated using hot compaction test and those loads were calculated. These composites are machined using conventional methods because of lack of advanced machinery in most of the industries. The advanced non-conventional methods like Abrasive water jet machining were used. These machining techniques are used to get the better output for the composite materials with good mechanical properties compared to conventional methods. But the use of non-conventional methods causes the changes in the work piece, tool properties and more economical compared to the conventional methods. Finding out the best method ideal for the designing of these Self Reinforced Composites with and without defects and the use of Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) analysis for the comparing the microstructure of the PP and PE samples concludes our process.

Optimizing Hybrid Metrology: Rigorous Implementation of Bayesian and Combined Regression

PubMed Central

Henn, Mark-Alexander; Silver, Richard M.; Villarrubia, John S.; Zhang, Nien Fan; Zhou, Hui; Barnes, Bryan M.; Ming, Bin; Vladár, András E.

2015-01-01

Hybrid metrology, e.g., the combination of several measurement techniques to determine critical dimensions, is an increasingly important approach to meet the needs of the semiconductor industry. A proper use of hybrid metrology may yield not only more reliable estimates for the quantitative characterization of 3-D structures but also a more realistic estimation of the corresponding uncertainties. Recent developments at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) feature the combination of optical critical dimension (OCD) measurements and scanning electron microscope (SEM) results. The hybrid methodology offers the potential to make measurements of essential 3-D attributes that may not be otherwise feasible. However, combining techniques gives rise to essential challenges in error analysis and comparing results from different instrument models, especially the effect of systematic and highly correlated errors in the measurement on the χ2 function that is minimized. Both hypothetical examples and measurement data are used to illustrate solutions to these challenges. PMID:26681991

Synthesis and Performance Evaluation of Pulse Electrodeposited Ni-AlN Nanocomposite Coatings

PubMed Central

Ali, Kamran; Narayana, Sivaprasad; Okonkwo, Paul C.; Yusuf, Moinuddin M.; Alashraf, Abdullah

2018-01-01

This research work presents the microscopic analysis of pulse electrodeposited Ni-AlN nanocomposite coatings using SEM and AFM techniques and their performance evaluation (mechanical and electrochemical) by employing nanoindentation and electrochemical methods. The Ni-AlN nanocomposite coatings were developed by pulse electrodeposition. The nickel matrix was reinforced with various amounts of AlN nanoparticles (3, 6, and 9 g/L) to develop Ni-AlN nanocomposite coatings. The effect of reinforcement concentration on structure, surface morphology, and mechanical and anticorrosion properties was studied. SEM and AFM analyses indicate that Ni-AlN nanocomposite coatings have dense, homogenous, and well-defined pyramid structure containing uniformly distributed AlN particles. A decent improvement in the corrosion protection performance is also observed by the addition of AlN particles to the nickel matrix. Corrosion current was reduced from 2.15 to 1.29 μA cm−2 by increasing the AlN particles concentration from 3 to 9 g/L. It has been observed that the properties of Ni-AlN nanocomposite coating are sensitive to the concentration of AlN nanoparticles used as reinforcement. PMID:29619143

In vitro and ex vivo microbial leakage assessment in endodontics: A literature review.

PubMed

Savadkouhi, Sohrab Tour; Bakhtiar, Hengameh; Ardestani, Safoura Emami

2016-01-01

The aim of this study was to perform a literature review of published in-vitro and ex-vivo studies, which evaluated microbial leakage in endodontics in the past 10 years. A comprehensive electronic literature search was carried out in PubMed database for English articles published from 2005 to 2016 using the keywords "endodontics," " in vitro ," " ex vivo ," "microbial leakage," "microbial penetration," "saliva," " Enterococcus faecalis ," " E. faecalis ," "endodontic sealers," "temporary filling material," "apical plug," "mineral trioxide aggregate," and "MTA." The keywords were combined using Boolean operators AND/OR. Based on our search strategy, 33 relevant articles were included in the study. There are three main methods for assessment of bacterial microleakage, namely, (A) the dual-chamber leakage model, (B) detection of bacteria using a scanning electron microscope (SEM), and (C) polymerase chain reaction. All bacterial leakage models have some limitations and may yield different results compared to other microleakage evaluation techniques (i.e., dye penetration, fluid filtration, or electrochemical tests). The results of SEM correlated with those of microbial leakage test in most studies. Microbial leakage test using saliva better simulates the clinical setting for assessment of the leakage of single or mixed bacterial species.

Ferroelectricity of strained SrTiO3 in lithium tetraborate glass-nanocomposite and glass-ceramic

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abdel-Khalek, E. K.; Mohamed, E. A.; Kashif, I.

2018-02-01

Glass-nanocomposite (GNCs) sample of the composition [90Li2B4O7-10SrTiO3] (mol %) was prepared by conventional melt quenching technique. The glassy phase and the amorphous nature of the GNCs sample were identified by Differential thermal analysis (DTA) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) studies, respectively. DTA of the GNCs exhibits sharp and broad exothermic peaks which represent the crystallization of Li2B4O7 and SrTiO3, respectively. The tetragonal Li2B4O7 and tetragonal SrTiO3 crystalline phases in glass-ceramic (GC) were identified by XRD and scanning electron microscopic (SEM). The strain tetragonal SrTiO3 phase in GNCs and GC has been confirmed by SEM. The values of crystallization activation energies (Ec1 and Ec2) for the first and second exothermic peaks are equal to 174 and 1452 kJ/mol, respectively. The Ti3+ ions in tetragonal distorted octahedral sites in GNCs were identified by optical transmission spectrum. GNCs and GC samples exhibit broad dielectric anomalies at 303 and 319 K because of strained SrTiO3 ferroelectric, respectively.

Substantivity of hypochlorous acid-based disinfectant against biofilm formation in the dental unit waterlines

PubMed Central

Shajahan, Irfana Fathima; Kandaswamy, Deivanayagam; Lakshminarayanan, L.; Selvarajan, R.

2017-01-01

Objective: The purpose of the study was to examine the substantivity of a new disinfectant against biofilm formation in the dental unit waterlines. Materials and Methods: Twenty dental units were selected for the study and divided into two groups: Group A (dental unit waterlines treated with the disinfectant) and Group B (untreated dental unit waterlines). Biofilm formation was monitored in both groups by removing the one dental unit waterline from each group for the period of 10 days. One inch of the dental unit waterline tube was cut at random site, and the inner lumen of the cut sections was analyzed using the scanning electron microscope (SEM) (TESCAN VEGA3 SBU). Results: On examination, SEM images showed that there was no slime layer or bacterial cells seen in cut section for the period of 7 days in the treated dental waterlines, which means that there is no evident of biofilm formation. In the untreated dental unit waterline cut section, slime layer was observed from day 1. Conclusion: Disinfectant solution was proved to be effective for 7 days against biofilm formation. This technique could be used as a valid method for disinfection of dental unit waterlines. PMID:28761244

[The role of N-acetylcysteine against the injury of pulmonary artery induced by LPS].

PubMed

Huang, Xin-li; Ling, Yi-ling; Zhu, Tie-nian

2002-11-01

To investigate the alleviating effect of N-acetylcysteine (NAC) on lung injury induced by lipopolysaccharides (LPS) and its mechanism. The effects of NAC on changes of the pulmonary arterial reactivity and the ultrastructure of pulmonary arterial endothelium induced by LPS were observed with the isolated artery ring technique and scanning electron microscope (SEM). Malondialdehyde (MDA), nitric oxide (NO) contents and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity of pulmonary artery tissues were detected. The exposure of pulmonary artery to LPS (4 microg/ml, 7 h) led to reduction of endothelium-dependent relaxation response to acetylcholine (ACh), which was reversed by the concomitant exposure to NAC (0.5 mmol/L, 7 h), whereas NAC itself had no effect on the response. Significant structural injury were observed under SEM in LPS group and alleviated the changes in LPS + NAC group. The MDA, NO contents increased but SOD activity decreased in LPS group, which were reversed by the concomitant exposure to NAC. NAC protects pulmonary artery endothelium and enhances endothelium-dependent relaxation response of pulmonary artery by antioxidation effect, which may be one of the mechanisms of its reversing pulmonary artery hypertension and following lung injury induced by LPS.

Correlative Light-Electron Fractography of Interlaminar Fracture in a Carbon-Epoxy Composite.

PubMed

Hein, Luis Rogerio de O; Campos, Kamila A de

2015-12-01

This work evaluates the use of light microscopes (LMs) as a tool for interlaminar fracture of polymer composite investigation with the aid of correlative fractography. Correlative fractography consists of an association of the extended depth of focus (EDF) method, based on reflected LM, with scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to evaluate interlaminar fractures. The use of these combined techniques is exemplified here for the mode I fracture of carbon-epoxy plain-weave reinforced composite. The EDF-LM is a digital image-processing method that consists of the extraction of in-focus pixels for each x-y coordinate in an image from a stack of Z-ordered digital pictures from an LM, resulting in a fully focused picture and a height elevation map for each stack. SEM is the most used tool for the identification of fracture mechanisms in a qualitative approach, with the combined advantages of a large focus depth and fine lateral resolution. However, LMs, with EDF software, may bypass the restriction on focus depth and present enough lateral resolution at low magnification. Finally, correlative fractography can provide the general comprehension of fracture processes, with the benefits of the association of different resolution scales and contrast modes.

[An in vitro investigation of wear resistance and hardness of three kinds of new composite resins].

PubMed

Wang, Li-kai; Shi, Lian-shui; Zhu, Hong-shui

2008-02-01

To evaluate wear resistance and hardness of three kinds of new composite resins. Three kinds of new composite resins, Solidex, Spectrum, Filtek Z350, were tested. Enamel as control group. A refited MG-200 wear machine was used in this study. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) was used to observe the friction surface of each tested material. Hardness of each tested material was determined by Vickers indentation technique. The data of wear and hardness were analyzed by Mann-Whitney test and 1-way ANOVA. The relationship between the hardness of the composites and the amount of wear of them was determined by a regression analysis method. Filtek Z350 showed the lowest volumetric wear and highest Vickers hardness in the composites (P < 0.05). No significant differences in wear and hardness were observed between Solidex and Spectrum (P > 0.05). Significant relationships were observed between the hardness of the composites and the amount of wear of them (r = 0.968 6) (P < 0.05). Different wear characters of the friction surface of the tested materials were observed by SEM. Nanofilled composite was superior to the hybrid composite in wear resistance and hardness.

The polymeric nanofilm of triazinedithiolsilane fabricated by self-assembled technique on copper surface. Part 2: Characterization of composition and morphology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Yabin; Liu, Zhong; Huang, Yudong; Qi, Yutai

2015-11-01

In the first part, a novel design route for metal protection against corrosion was proposed, and a class of triazinedithiolsilane compounds was conceived as protector for copper. The protective capability of the polymeric nanofilm, fabricated by self-assembling one representative (abbreviated as TESPA) of triazinedithiolsilane compounds onto copper surface, has been investigated and evaluated by electrochemical tests. The results show that the polymeric nanofilm significantly inhibits copper corrosion. This study, on the one hand, concentrates on the chemical composition of the TESPA polymeric nanofilm by means of X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The XPS results reveal that the chemical bonds between copper and TESPA monomers, three dimensional disulfide units and siloxane networks are responsible for the satisfactory protection of TESPA polymeric nanofilm against copper corrosion. On the other hand, scanning electron microscope (SEM) and energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) are utilized to reveal the morphology and the uniformity of the TESPA polymeric nanofilm. The SEM-EDS results demonstrate that the copper surfaces are uniformly covered with TESPA self-assembled monolayer and the polymeric nanofilm. The TESPA-covered copper surfaces turn out to be smoother than that of the bare copper surface.

Graphene Synthesis and Characterization

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-04-08

for synthesis electrochemical. - A Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) (EVO MA from Carl Zeiss). 6 6. RESULTS AND...5, 2332-2339, 2011, High-Quality Thin graphene films from fast electrochemical exfoliation. [13] Da Hee Jung , Cheong Kang, Ji Eun Nam, Jin-Seok Kim

Generating 3D and 3D-like animations of strongly uneven surface microareas of bloodstains from small series of partially out-of-focus digital SEM micrographs.

PubMed

Hortolà, Policarp

2010-01-01

When dealing with microscopic still images of some kinds of samples, the out-of-focus problem represents a particularly serious limiting factor for the subsequent generation of fully sharp 3D animations. In order to produce fully-focused 3D animations of strongly uneven surface microareas, a vertical stack of six digital secondary-electron SEM micrographs of a human bloodstain microarea was acquired. Afterwards, single combined images were generated using a macrophotography and light microscope image post-processing software. Subsequently, 3D animations of texture and topography were obtained in different formats using a combination of software tools. Finally, a 3D-like animation of a texture-topography composite was obtained in different formats using another combination of software tools. By one hand, results indicate that the use of image post-processing software not concerned primarily with electron micrographs allows to obtain, in an easy way, fully-focused images of strongly uneven surface microareas of bloodstains from small series of partially out-of-focus digital SEM micrographs. On the other hand, results also indicate that such small series of electron micrographs can be utilized for generating 3D and 3D-like animations that can subsequently be converted into different formats, by using certain user-friendly software facilities not originally designed for use in SEM, that are easily available from Internet. Although the focus of this study was on bloodstains, the methods used in it well probably are also of relevance for studying the surface microstructures of other organic or inorganic materials whose sharp displaying is difficult of obtaining from a single SEM micrograph.

DNA Binding Peptide Directed Synthesis of Continuous DNA Nanowires for Analysis of Large DNA Molecules by Scanning Electron Microscope.

PubMed

Kim, Kyung-Il; Lee, Seonghyun; Jin, Xuelin; Kim, Su Ji; Jo, Kyubong; Lee, Jung Heon

2017-01-01

Synthesis of smooth and continuous DNA nanowires, preserving the original structure of native DNA, and allowing its analysis by scanning electron microscope (SEM), is demonstrated. Gold nanoparticles densely assembled on the DNA backbone via thiol-tagged DNA binding peptides work as seeds for metallization of DNA. This method allows whole analysis of DNA molecules with entangled 3D features. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Grading and quantification of dental fluorosis in zebrafish larva.

PubMed

Zhang, Yutao; Zhang, Yanli; Zheng, Xueni; Xu, Rongchen; He, Huiming; Duan, Xiaohong

2016-10-01

The prevalence and severity of dental fluorosis in primary teeth are different from permanent teeth. Previous animal models of dental fluorosis mainly focus on juvenile rats, mice and zebrafish. Our experiment aims to set a dental fluorosis model using zebrafish larva and explore the characteristics of the first generation teeth by fluoride treatment. After the zebrafish eggs were laid, they were exposed to excess fluoride (19ppm, 38ppm and 76ppm) for five days. The morphological characteristics of first generation teeth were examined by H&E staining, whole-mount alizarin red and alcian blue staining, and scanning electron microscope (SEM) technique. With whole-mount alizarin red and alcian blue staining, the tooth cusps presented red in normal control. 19ppm and 38ppmm fluoride resulted in extensive red staining from tooth cusps to the lower 1/3 of teeth. 76ppm fluoride caused malformed teeth with uneven red staining. H&E staining showed that excess fluoride caused cystic-like changes in 38ppm and 76ppm groups. SEM revealed the dose dependent pathological changes in zebrafish enameloid with fluoride treatment. Based on SEM findings, we set 0-4 dental fluorosis index (DFI) score to label the severity of dental fluorosis. Excess fluoride presented a dose dependent fluorosis changes in the teeth of zebrafish larva. The DFI scores in our experiment reflect dose dependent fluorosis changes in a good way and will benefit the future research of dental fluorosis. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) Evaluation of the Interface between a Nanostructured Calcium-Incorporated Dental Implant Surface and the Human Bone.

PubMed

Mangano, Francesco; Raspanti, Mario; Maghaireh, Hassan; Mangano, Carlo

2017-12-17

Purpose . The aim of this scanning electron microscope (SEM) study was to investigate the interface between the bone and a novel nanostructured calcium-incorporated dental implant surface in humans. Methods . A dental implant (Anyridge ® , Megagen Implant Co., Gyeongbuk, South Korea) with a nanostructured calcium-incorporated surface (Xpeed ® , Megagen Implant Co., Gyeongbuk, South Korea), which had been placed a month earlier in a fully healed site of the posterior maxilla (#14) of a 48-year-old female patient, and which had been subjected to immediate functional loading, was removed after a traumatic injury. Despite the violent trauma that caused mobilization of the fixture, its surface appeared to be covered by a firmly attached, intact tissue; therefore, it was subjected to SEM examination. The implant surface of an unused nanostructured calcium-incorporated implant was also observed under SEM, as control. Results . The surface of the unused implant showed a highly-structured texture, carved by irregular, multi-scale hollows reminiscent of a fractal structure. It appeared perfectly clean and devoid of any contamination. The human specimen showed trabecular bone firmly anchored to the implant surface, bridging the screw threads and filling the spaces among them. Conclusions . Within the limits of this human histological report, the sample analyzed showed that the nanostructured calcium-incorporated surface was covered by new bone, one month after placement in the posterior maxilla, under an immediate functional loading protocol.

Programmatically Optimized SEM Image Acquisition for Measurement of Contamination on Molybdenum Coated Foils from the NASA Genesis Mission

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gil, A.

2016-12-01

The NASA Genesis Mission flew high-purity collector materials on a satellite from 2001-2004 to collect a sample of the solar wind. Upon return to Earth, a spacecraft malfunction caused the onboard sample materials to be severely contaminated during the crash landing in the Utah desert. As part of an ongoing effort to decontaminate the collector materials, they are being scanned with a scanning electron microscope (SEM) to determine the amount of dirt and spacecraft debris contaminating the collectors. This effort is underway currently, but we have identified an opportunity to improve the quality of the SEM data collected. At present, many small images are acquired and stitched together to form larger images of Genesis collector pieces, which are then analyzed. The collectors are physically distorted, however, and the imaging method presently used doesn't allow imaging parameters to be adjusted between images to correct for this distortion. In order to improve the quality of the collected imaging, we are developing a program to acquire a focus map of each sample prior to image collection. The program then uses this data to adjust the position of the sample in the SEM to image all sections in focus and at a constant focal length. This is accomplished using the Python programming language, and the programmatic interface built into our Tescan VEGA Scanning Electron Microscope. Our approach, progress to date, and challenges are discussed.

Testing and Comparison of Imaging Detectors for Electrons in the Energy Range 10-20 keV

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Matheson, J.; Moldovan, G.; Kirkland, A.; Allinson, N.; Abrahams, J. P.

2017-11-01

Interest in direct detectors for low-energy electrons has increased markedly in recent years. Detection of electrons in the energy range up to low tens of keV is important in techniques such as photoelectron emission microscopy (PEEM) and electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) on scanning electron microscopes (SEMs). The PEEM technique is used both in the laboratory and on synchrotron light sources worldwide. The ubiquity of SEMs means that there is a very large market for EBSD detectors for materials studies. Currently, the most widely used detectors in these applications are based on indirect detection of incident electrons. Examples include scintillators or microchannel plates (MCPs), coupled to CCD cameras. Such approaches result in blurring in scintillators/phosphors, distortions in optical systems, and inefficiencies due the limited active area of MCPs. In principle, these difficulties can be overcome using direct detection in a semiconductor device. Growing out of a feasibility study into the use of a direct detector for use on an XPEEM, we have built at Rutherford Appleton Laboratory a system to illuminate detectors with an electron beam of energy up to 20 keV . We describe this system in detail. It has been used to measure the performance of a custom back-thinned monolithic active pixel sensor (MAPS), a detector based on the Medipix2 chip, and a commercial detector based on MCPs. We present a selection of the results from these measurements and compare and contrast different detector types.

[Authentication of Trace Material Evidence in Forensic Science Field with Infrared Microscopic Technique].

PubMed

Jiang, Zhi-quan; Hu, Ke-liang

2016-03-01

In the field of forensic science, conventional infrared spectral analysis technique is usually unable to meet the detection requirements, because only very a few trace material evidence with diverse shapes and complex compositions, can be extracted from the crime scene. Infrared microscopic technique is developed based on a combination of Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopic technique and microscopic technique. Infrared microscopic technique has a lot of advantages over conventional infrared spectroscopic technique, such as high detection sensitivity, micro-area analysisand nondestructive examination. It has effectively solved the problem of authentication of trace material evidence in the field of forensic science. Additionally, almost no external interference is introduced during measurements by infrared microscopic technique. It can satisfy the special need that the trace material evidence must be reserved for witness in court. It is illustrated in detail through real case analysis in this experimental center that, infrared microscopic technique has advantages in authentication of trace material evidence in forensic science field. In this paper, the vibration features in infrared spectra of material evidences, including paints, plastics, rubbers, fibers, drugs and toxicants, can be comparatively analyzed by means of infrared microscopic technique, in an attempt to provide powerful spectroscopic evidence for qualitative diagnosis of various criminal and traffic accident cases. The experimental results clearly suggest that infrared microscopic technique has an incomparable advantage and it has become an effective method for authentication of trace material evidence in the field of forensic science.

[Experimental study on tissue engineered cartilage complex three-dimensional nano-scaffold with collagen type II and hyaluronic acid in vitro].

PubMed

Yang, Zelong; Chen, Zhu; Liu, Kang; Bai, Yiguang; Jiang, Ting; Feng, Daxiong; Feng, Gang

2013-10-01

To explore the possibility of constructing tissue engineered cartilage complex three-dimensional nano-scaffold with collagen type II and hyaluronic acid (HA) by electrospinning. The three-dimensional porous nano-scaffolds were prepared by electrospinning techniques with collagen type II and HA (8 : 1, W : W), which was dissolved in mixed solvent of 3-trifluoroethanol and water (1 : 1, V : V). The morphology were observed by light microscope and scanning electron microscope (SEM). And the porosity, water absorption rate, contact angle, and degradation rate were detected. Chondrocytes were harvested from 1-week-old Japanese white rabbit, which was disgested by 0.25% trypsin 30 minutes and 1% collagenase overlight. The passage 2 chondrocytes were seeded on the nano-scaffold. The cell adhesion and proliferation were evaluated by cell counting kit 8 (CCK-8). The cell-scaffold composites were cultured for 2 weeks in vitro, and the biological morphology and extracelluar matrix (ECM) secretion were observed by histological analysis. The optimal electrospinning condition of nano-scaffold was 10% electrospinning solution concentration, 10 cm receiver distance, 5 mL/h spinning injection speed. The scaffold had uniform diameter and good porosity through the light microscope and SEM. The diameter was 300-600 nm, and the porosity was 89.5% +/- 25.0%. The contact angle was (35.6 +/- 3.4) degrees, and the water absorption was 1 120% +/- 34% at 24 hours, which indicated excellent hydrophilicity. The degradation rate was 42.24% +/- 1.51% at 48 days. CCK-8 results showed that the adhesive rate of cells with scaffold was 169.14% +/- 11.26% at 12 hours, and the cell survival rate was 126.03% +/- 4.54% at 7 days. The histological and immunohistochemical staining results showed that the chondrocytes could grow well on the scaffold and secreted ECM. And the similar cartilage lacuma structure could be found at 2 weeks after co-culture, which suggested that hyaline cartilage formed. The collage type II and HA complex three-dimensional nano-scaffold has good physicochemical properties and excellent biocompatibility, so it can be used as a tissue engineered cartilage

On the Antiquity of Cancer: Evidence for Metastatic Carcinoma in a Young Man from Ancient Nubia (c. 1200BC)

PubMed Central

Binder, Michaela; Roberts, Charlotte; Spencer, Neal; Antoine, Daniel; Cartwright, Caroline

2014-01-01

Cancer, one of the world’s leading causes of death today, remains almost absent relative to other pathological conditions, in the archaeological record, giving rise to the conclusion that the disease is mainly a product of modern living and increased longevity. This paper presents a male, young-adult individual from the archaeological site of Amara West in northern Sudan (c. 1200BC) displaying multiple, mainly osteolytic, lesions on the vertebrae, ribs, sternum, clavicles, scapulae, pelvis, and humeral and femoral heads. Following radiographic, microscopic and scanning electron microscopic (SEM) imaging of the lesions, and a consideration of differential diagnoses, a diagnosis of metastatic carcinoma secondary to an unknown soft tissue cancer is suggested. This represents the earliest complete example in the world of a human who suffered metastatic cancer to date. The study further draws its strength from modern analytical techniques applied to differential diagnoses and the fact that it is firmly rooted within a well-documented archaeological and historical context, thus providing new insights into the history and antiquity of the disease as well as its underlying causes and progression. PMID:24637948

Porous Co3O4 hollow nanododecahedra for nonenzymatic glucose biosensor and biofuel cell.

PubMed

Zhang, Erhuan; Xie, Yu; Ci, Suqin; Jia, Jingchun; Wen, Zhenhai

2016-07-15

Cobalt oxide hollow nanododecahedra (Co3O4-HND) is synthesized by a facile thermal transformation of cobalt-based metal-organic framework (Co-MOF, ZIF-67) template. The morphology and properties of the Co3O4-HND are characterized by a set of techniques, including transmission electron microscope (TEM), powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM) and Brunner-Emmet-Teller (BET). When tested as a non-enzymatic electrocatalyst for glucose oxidation reaction, the Co3O4-HND exhibits a high activity and shows an outstanding performance for determining glucose with a wide window of 2.0μM to 6.06mM, a high sensitivity of 708.4μAmM(-1)cm(-2), a low detection limit of 0.58μM (S/N=3), and fast response time(<2s). Based on the nonenzymatic oxidation of glucose, Co3O4-HND could be served as an attractive non-enzyme and noble-metal-free electrocatalyst in glucose fuel cell (GFC) due to its excellent electrochemical properties, low cost and facile preparation. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

High-efficiency and conveniently recyclable photo-catalysts for dye degradation based on urchin-like CuO microparticle/polymer hybrid composites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Xiong; Cheng, Yuming; Li, Xuefeng; Dong, Jinfeng

2018-05-01

In this work, we developed a new type of photo-catalysts composed of the urchin-like cupric oxide (CuO) microparticle and polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) hybrid composites by the convenient organic-inorganic hybrid strategy, which show high-efficiency and conveniently recyclable for dye degradation including methylene blue (MB), Congo red (CR), and malachite green (MG) by visible light irradiation. The micro-structural characteristics of urchin-like CuO microparticles are crucial and dominant over the photo-degrading efficiency of hybrid catalyst because of their highly exposed {0 0 2} facet and larger specific surface area. Simultaneously, the intrinsic porous framework of PVDF membrane not only remains the excellent photo-catalytic activity of urchin-like CuO microparticles but also facilitates the enrichment of dyes on the membrane, and thereby synergistically contributing to the photo-catalytic efficiency. The microstructures of both urchin-like CuO microparticles and hybrid catalysts are systematically characterized by various techniques including scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscope (TEM), high-resolution transmission electron microscope (HRTEM), powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and nitrogen adsorption/desorption isotherms, which evidently support the mentioned mechanism.

Facile One-Pot Synthesis of Flower Like Cobalt Oxide Nanostructures on Nickel Plate and Its Supercapacitance Properties.

PubMed

Kandasamy, N; Venugopal, T; Kannan, K

2018-06-01

A flower like cobalt oxide nanostructured thin film (Co2O3) on Nickel (Ni) plate as have been successfully developed via alcoholic Seed Layer assisted chemical bath Deposition (SLD) process. Through the controlled alkaline electrolytes, the flower and paddles like Co2O3 nanoarchitectures were formed. The prepared thin film was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope with energy dispersive X-ray (SEM and EDX), Atomic Force Microscope (AFM), Raman spectroscopy techniques. Electron micrograph reveals the flower and paddles like nanostructured Co2O3 thin film deposited on Ni plates. The electrochemical characteristics were investigated using cyclic voltammetry (CV), charge-discharge and AC impedance spectroscopy in different aqueous electrolytes such as NaOH, KOH, and LiOH. The maximum specific capacitance of 856 Fg-1 was attained with 2 M KOH electrolyte with 2 mVs-1 of the Co2O3 thin film coated Ni plate at 80 °C using SLD method. The capacitance values obtained with various electrolytes are in the order of KOH > NaOH > LiOH. The results indicate that the present method is economical and the material is ecofriendly with enhanced capacitance property.

Energy-weighted dynamical scattering simulations of electron diffraction modalities in the scanning electron microscope.

PubMed

Pascal, Elena; Singh, Saransh; Callahan, Patrick G; Hourahine, Ben; Trager-Cowan, Carol; Graef, Marc De

2018-04-01

Transmission Kikuchi diffraction (TKD) has been gaining momentum as a high resolution alternative to electron back-scattered diffraction (EBSD), adding to the existing electron diffraction modalities in the scanning electron microscope (SEM). The image simulation of any of these measurement techniques requires an energy dependent diffraction model for which, in turn, knowledge of electron energies and diffraction distances distributions is required. We identify the sample-detector geometry and the effect of inelastic events on the diffracting electron beam as the important factors to be considered when predicting these distributions. However, tractable models taking into account inelastic scattering explicitly are lacking. In this study, we expand the Monte Carlo (MC) energy-weighting dynamical simulations models used for EBSD [1] and ECP [2] to the TKD case. We show that the foil thickness in TKD can be used as a means of energy filtering and compare band sharpness in the different modalities. The current model is shown to correctly predict TKD patterns and, through the dictionary indexing approach, to produce higher quality indexed TKD maps than conventional Hough transform approach, especially close to grain boundaries. Copyright © 2018 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Study of Inclusion Bands in Continuously Cast Steel Billets for Rolling Thermomechanically Treated Rebars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pandey, J. C.; Choubey, P. N.; Raj, Manish

2008-07-01

The article presents the investigation results of inclusion bands generally formed toward the loose end/inner radius of continuously cast (CC) strands of thermomechanically treated (TMT) rebar grade cast through curved molds. The main analytical tool used for this purpose was an ultrasonic C-scan image analysis system to reveal this band, and the defects detected in this band using the preceding technique were further measured and analyzed in an optical microscope and a scanning electron microscope (SEM) using energy-dispersive system (EDS). The investigation results revealed the presence of macrolevel globular macroinclusions in the size range 50 to 711 μm. The main constituents of the globular inclusions were found to be SiO2 and MnO. Impact test results revealed reduction in ductility in these bands when compared with the billet material without inclusion band toward the opposite face from the inner radius face. In Charpy testing, reduction in the impact energy in these bands was found to be 0.2 kg m. It is important to monitor the severity of macroinclusions present in these bands to avoid the cracking of TMT rebars during hot rolling.

ß-Ga2O3 nanorod synthesis with a one-step microwave irradiation hydrothermal method and its efficient photocatalytic degradation for perfluorooctanoic acid.

PubMed

Zhao, Baoxiu; Li, Xiang; Yang, Long; Wang, Fen; Li, Jincheng; Xia, Wenxiang; Li, Weijiang; Zhou, Li; Zhao, Colin

2015-01-01

ß-Ga2O3 nanorod was first directly prepared by the microwave irradiation hydrothermal way without any subsequent heat treatments, and its characterizations were analyzed by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), high-resolution transmission electron microscope (HRTEM), UV-Vis diffuse reflection spectroscopy techniques, and also its photocatalytic degradation for perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) was investigated. XRD patterns revealed that ß-Ga2O3 crystallization increased with the enhancement of microwave power and the adding of active carbon (AC). PFOA, as an environmental and persistent pollutant, is hard decomposed by hydroxyl radicals (HO·); however, it is facilely destroyed by ß-Ga2O3 photocatalytic reaction in an anaerobic atmosphere. The important factors such as pH, ß-Ga2O3 dosage and bubbling atmosphere were researched, and the degradation and defluorination was 98.8% and 56.2%, respectively. Reductive atmosphere reveals that photoinduced electron may be the major reactant for PFOA. Furthermore, the degradation kinetics for PFOA was simulated and constant and half-life was calculated, respectively. © 2014 The American Society of Photobiology.

Synthesized af-PFCl and GG-g-P(AN)/TEOS hydrogel composite used in hybridized technique applied for AMD treatment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fosso-Kankeu, Elvis

2018-06-01

In the present study af-PFCl, GL-g-P(AN) hydrogel and GL-g-P(AN)/TEOS hydrogel composite were synthesized. The hydrogels were characterized using the fourier transformed infra-red (FTIR) and the scanning electron microscope (SEM) techniques. The coagulant af-PFCl and the hydrogels were applied consecutively in flocculation and adsorption processes respectively for the treatment of acid mine drainage (AMD). It was observed that the grafting process increased the amount of binding groups on the hydrogels. The hybridization of the techniques assisted in the removal of anions; while the cations were mostly removed by the adsorption process. The adsorbents behaviour was fittingly expressed by the pseudo-second order model. The adsorption capacities of GL-g-P(AN)/TEOS hydrogel composite for the removal of Al, As and Zn were 3.89, 0.66 and 0.394 respectively; while the adsorption capacities of GL-g-P(AN) for the removal of Al and Mg were 3.47 and 9.66 mg/g respectively. The techniques applied in this study have shown good potential for the removal of specific pollutants from the AMD; it is however, important that the appropriate hybridization of techniques allows to remove all the pollutants and restore acceptable water quality.

Mechanical Sensing with Flexible Metallic Nanowires

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dobrokhotov, Vladimir; Yazdanpanah, Mehdi; Pabba, Santosh; Safir, Abdelilah; Cohn, Robert

2008-03-01

A calibrated method of force sensing is demonstrated in which the buckled shape of a long flexible metallic nanowire is interpreted to determine the applied force. Using a nanomanipulator the nanowire is buckled in the chamber of a scanning electron microscope (SEM) and the buckled shapes are recorded in SEM images. Force is determined as a function of deflection for an assumed elastic modulus by fitting the shapes using the generalized elastica model. In this calibration the elastic modulus was determined using an auxiliary AFM measurement, with the needle in the same orientation as in the SEM. Following this calibration the needle was used as a sensor in a different orientation than the AFM coordinates to deflect a suspended PLLA polymer fiber from which the elastic modulus (2.96 GPa) was determined. In this study the same needle remained rigidly secured to the AFM cantilever throughout the entire SEM/AFM calibration procedure and the characterization of the nanofiber.

Uncertainty in the use of MAMA software to measure particle morphological parameters from SEM images

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Schwartz, Daniel S.; Tandon, Lav

The MAMA software package developed at LANL is designed to make morphological measurements on a wide variety of digital images of objects. At LANL, we have focused on using MAMA to measure scanning electron microscope (SEM) images of particles, as this is a critical part of our forensic analysis of interdicted radiologic materials. In order to successfully use MAMA to make such measurements, we must understand the level of uncertainty involved in the process, so that we can rigorously support our quantitative conclusions.

Growth and nanomechanical characterization of nanoscale 3D architectures grown via focused electron beam induced deposition

DOE PAGES

Lewis, Brett B.; Mound, Brittnee A.; Srijanto, Bernadeta; ...

2017-10-12

Here, nanomechanical measurements of platinum–carbon 3D nanoscale architectures grown via focused electron beam induced deposition (FEBID) were performed using a nanoindentation system in a scanning electron microscope (SEM) for simultaneous in situ imaging.

Effect of endodontic irrigation with 1% sodium hypochlorite and 17% EDTA on primary teeth: a scanning electron microscope analysis.

PubMed

Ximenes, Marcos; Triches, Thaisa C; Beltrame, Ana Paula C A; Hilgert, Leandro A; Cardoso, Mariane

2013-01-01

This study evaluated the efficacy of 2 final irrigation solutions for removal of the smear layer (SL) from root canals of primary teeth, using scanning electron microscope (SEM) analysis. Thirty primary molars were selected and a single operator instrumented the canals. The initial irrigation was done with a 1% sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl) solution. After the preparation, the roots were randomly divided into 3 groups for final irrigation: Group 1, 1% NaOCl (n = 10); Group 2, 17% EDTA + 1% NaOCl (n = 10); and Group 3, 17% EDTA + saline solution (n = 10). The roots were prepared for SEM analysis (magnification 1000X). The photomicrographs were independently analyzed by 2 investigators with SEM experience, attributing scores to each root third in terms of SL removal. Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney tests revealed that there was no statistical difference between the groups (P = 0.489). However, a statistical difference was found (P < 0.05) in a comparison of root thirds, with the apical third having the worst results. Comparing the thirds within the same group, all canals showed statistical differences between the cervical and apical thirds (P < 0.05). The authors determined that no substance or association of substances were able to completely remove SL.

Imaging single atoms using secondary electrons with an aberration-corrected electron microscope.

PubMed

Zhu, Y; Inada, H; Nakamura, K; Wall, J

2009-10-01

Aberration correction has embarked on a new frontier in electron microscopy by overcoming the limitations of conventional round lenses, providing sub-angstrom-sized probes. However, improvement of spatial resolution using aberration correction so far has been limited to the use of transmitted electrons both in scanning and stationary mode, with an improvement of 20-40% (refs 3-8). In contrast, advances in the spatial resolution of scanning electron microscopes (SEMs), which are by far the most widely used instrument for surface imaging at the micrometre-nanometre scale, have been stagnant, despite several recent efforts. Here, we report a new SEM, with aberration correction, able to image single atoms by detecting electrons emerging from its surface as a result of interaction with the small probe. The spatial resolution achieved represents a fourfold improvement over the best-reported resolution in any SEM (refs 10-12). Furthermore, we can simultaneously probe the sample through its entire thickness with transmitted electrons. This ability is significant because it permits the selective visualization of bulk atoms and surface ones, beyond a traditional two-dimensional projection in transmission electron microscopy. It has the potential to revolutionize the field of microscopy and imaging, thereby opening the door to a wide range of applications, especially when combined with simultaneous nanoprobe spectroscopy.

Kaolinite flocculation induced by smectite addition - a transmission X-ray microscopic study.

PubMed

Zbik, Marek S; Song, Yen-Fang; Frost, Ray L

2010-09-01

The influence of smectite addition on kaolinite suspensions in water was investigated by transmission X-ray microscopy (TXM) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). Sedimentation test screening was also conducted. Micrographs were processed by the STatistic IMage Analysing (STIMAN) program and structural parameters were calculated. From the results of the sedimentation tests important influences of small smectite additions to about 3wt.% on kaolinite suspension flocculation has been found. In order to determine the reason for this smectite impact on kaolinite suspension, macroscopic behaviour micro-structural examination using Transmission X-ray Microscope (TXM) and SEM has been undertaken. TXM & SEM micrographs of freeze-dried kaolinite-smectite suspensions with up to 20% smectite showed a high degree of orientation of the fabric made of highly oriented particles and greatest density when 3wt.% of smectite was added to the 10wt.% dense kaolinite suspension. In contrast, suspensions containing pure kaolinite do not show such platelet mutual orientation but homogenous network of randomly oriented kaolinite platelets. This suggests that in kaolinite-smectite suspensions, smectite forms highly oriented basic framework into which kaolinite platelets may bond in face to face preferential contacts strengthening structure and allowing them to show plastic behaviour which is cause of platelets orientation. Copyright 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Reconstructing the microstructure of polyimide-silicalite mixed-matrix membranes and their particle connectivity using FIB-SEM tomography.

PubMed

Diblíková, P; Veselý, M; Sysel, P; Čapek, P

2018-03-01

Properties of a composite material made of a continuous matrix and particles often depend on microscopic details, such as contacts between particles. Focusing on processing raw focused-ion beam scanning electron microscope (FIB-SEM) tomography data, we reconstructed three mixed-matrix membrane samples made of 6FDA-ODA polyimide and silicalite-1 particles. In the first step of image processing, backscattered electron (BSE) and secondary electron (SE) signals were mixed in a ratio that was expected to obtain a segmented 3D image with a realistic volume fraction of silicalite-1. Second, after spatial alignment of the stacked FIB-SEM data, the 3D image was smoothed using adaptive median and anisotropic nonlinear diffusion filters. Third, the image was segmented using the power watershed method coupled with a seeding algorithm based on geodesic reconstruction from the markers. If the resulting volume fraction did not match the target value quantified by chemical analysis of the sample, the BSE and SE signals were mixed in another ratio and the procedure was repeated until the target volume fraction was achieved. Otherwise, the segmented 3D image (replica) was accepted and its microstructure was thoroughly characterized with special attention paid to connectivity of the silicalite phase. In terms of the phase connectivity, Monte Carlo simulations based on the pure-phase permeability values enabled us to calculate the effective permeability tensor, the main diagonal elements of which were compared with the experimental permeability. In line with the hypothesis proposed in our recent paper (Čapek, P. et al. (2014) Comput. Mater. Sci. 89, 142-156), the results confirmed that the existence of particle clusters was a key microstructural feature determining effective permeability. © 2017 The Authors Journal of Microscopy © 2017 Royal Microscopical Society.

Observation of Live Ticks (Haemaphysalis flava) by Scanning Electron Microscopy under High Vacuum Pressure

PubMed Central

Ishigaki, Yasuhito; Nakamura, Yuka; Oikawa, Yosaburo; Yano, Yasuhiro; Kuwabata, Susumu; Nakagawa, Hideaki; Tomosugi, Naohisa; Takegami, Tsutomu

2012-01-01

Scanning electron microscopes (SEM), which image sample surfaces by scanning with an electron beam, are widely used for steric observations of resting samples in basic and applied biology. Various conventional methods exist for SEM sample preparation. However, conventional SEM is not a good tool to observe living organisms because of the associated exposure to high vacuum pressure and electron beam radiation. Here we attempted SEM observations of live ticks. During 1.5×10−3 Pa vacuum pressure and electron beam irradiation with accelerated voltages (2–5 kV), many ticks remained alive and moved their legs. After 30-min observation, we removed the ticks from the SEM stage; they could walk actively under atmospheric pressure. When we tested 20 ticks (8 female adults and 12 nymphs), they survived for two days after SEM observation. These results indicate the resistance of ticks against SEM observation. Our second survival test showed that the electron beam, not vacuum conditions, results in tick death. Moreover, we describe the reaction of their legs to electron beam exposure. These findings open the new possibility of SEM observation of living organisms and showed the resistance of living ticks to vacuum condition in SEM. These data also indicate, for the first time, the usefulness of tick as a model system for biology under extreme condition. PMID:22431980

The Effect of Buffer Types on the In0.82Ga0.18As Epitaxial Layer Grown on an InP (100) Substrate.

PubMed

Zhang, Min; Guo, Zuoxing; Zhao, Liang; Yang, Shen; Zhao, Lei

2018-06-08

In 0.82 Ga 0.18 As epitaxial layers were grown on InP (100) substrates at 530 °C by a low-pressure metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (LP-MOCVD) technique. The effects of different buffer structures, such as a single buffer layer, compositionally graded buffer layers, and superlattice buffer layers, on the crystalline quality and property were investigated. Double-crystal X-ray diffraction (DC-XRD) measurement, Raman scattering spectrum, and Hall measurements were used to evaluate the crystalline quality and electrical property. Scanning electron microscope (SEM), atomic force microscope (AFM), and transmission electron microscope (TEM) were used to characterize the surface morphology and microstructure, respectively. Compared with the In 0.82 Ga 0.18 As epitaxial layer directly grown on an InP substrate, the quality of the sample is not obviously improved by using a single In 0.82 Ga 0.18 As buffer layer. By introducing the graded In x Ga 1−x As buffer layers, it was found that the dislocation density in the epitaxial layer significantly decreased and the surface quality improved remarkably. In addition, the number of dislocations in the epitaxial layer greatly decreased under the combined action of multi-potential wells and potential barriers by the introduction of a In 0.82 Ga 0.18 As/In 0.82 Al 0.18 As superlattice buffer. However, the surface subsequently roughened, which may be explained by surface undulation.

Measurements of surface layer of the articular cartilage using microscopic techniques

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ryniewicz, A. M.; Ryniewicz, A.; Ryniewicz, W.; Gaska, A.

2010-07-01

The articular cartilage is the structure that directly cooperates tribologically in biobearing. It belongs to the connective tissues and in the joints it assumes two basic forms: hyaline cartilage that builds joint surfaces and fibrocartilage which may create joint surfaces. From this fibrocartilage are built semilunar cartilage and joint disc are built as well. The research of articular cartilage have been done in macro, micro and nano scale. In all these measurement areas characteristic features occur which can identify biobearing tribology. The aim of the research was the identification of surface layer of articular cartilage by means of scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atom force microscopy (AFM) and the analysis of topography of these layers. The material used in the research of surface layer was the animal articular cartilage: hyaline cartilage and fibrocartilage.

Analysis of the interaction of an electron beam with a solar cell. I. II

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Von Roos, O.

1978-01-01

The short-circuit current generated by the electron beam of a scanning electron microscope when it impinges on the N-P junction of a solar cell is known to be dependent on the configuration used to investigate the cell's response, and the situation for one specific configuration is analyzed. This configuration is the case in which the highly collimated electron beam strikes the edge of a planar junction a variable distance away from the edge of the depletion layer. An earlier treatment is generalized to encompass the ohmic contact at the back surface. The analysis employing Fourier and Wiener-Hopf techniques shows that it is impractical to determine the bulk diffusion length of a solar cell by a SEM used in the studied configuration unless the ohmic contact is partially removed.

Green synthesis and spectral characterization of silver nanoparticles from Lakshmi tulasi (Ocimum sanctum) leaf extract

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Subba Rao, Y.; Kotakadi, Venkata S.; Prasad, T. N. V. K. V.; Reddy, A. V.; Sai Gopal, D. V. R.

2013-02-01

A simple method for the green synthesis of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) using aqueous extract of Lakshmi tulasi (Ocimum sanctum) leaf as a reducing and stabilizing agent. AgNPs were rapidly synthesized using aqueous extract of tulasi leaf with AgNO3 solution within 15 min. The green synthesized AgNPs were characterized using physic-chemical techniques viz., UV-Vis, X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM) coupled with X-ray energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDX) and Fourier transform-infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR). Characterization data reveals that the particles were crystalline in nature and triangle shaped with an average size of 42 nm. The zeta potential of AgNPs were found to be -55.0 mV. This large negative zeta potential value indicates repulsion among AgNPs and their dispersion stability.

Investigation on Structural and Optical Properties of Copper Telluride Thin Films with Different Annealing Temperature

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nishanthini, R.; Muthu Menaka, M.; Pandi, P.; Bahavan Palani, P.; Neyvasagam, K.

The copper telluride (Cu2Te) thin film of thickness 240nm was coated on a microscopic glass substrate by thermal evaporation technique. The prepared films were annealed at 150∘C and 250∘C for 1h. The annealing effect on Cu2Te thin films was examined with different characterization methods like X-ray Diffraction Spectroscopy (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Ultra Violet-Visible Spectroscopy (UV-VIS) and Photoluminescence (PL) Spectroscopy. The peak intensities of XRD spectra were increased while increasing annealing temperature from 150∘C to 250∘C. The improved crystallinity of the thin films was revealed. However, the prepared films are exposed complex structure with better compatibility. Moreover, the shift in band gap energy towards higher energies (blue shift) with increasing annealing temperature is observed from the optical studies.

SEM analysis of ionizing radiation effects in an analog to digital converter /AD571/

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gauthier, M. K.; Perret, J.; Evans, K. C.

1981-01-01

The considered investigation is concerned with the study of the total-dose degradation mechanisms in an IIL analog to digital (A/D) converter. The A/D converter is a 10 digit device having nine separate functional units on the chip which encompass several hundred transistors and circuit elements. It was the objective of the described research to find the radiation sensitive elements by a systematic search of the devices on the LSI chip. The employed technique using a scanning electron microscope to determine the functional blocks of an integrated circuit which are sensitive to ionizing radiation and then progressively zeroing in on the soft components within those blocks, proved extremely successful on the AD571. Four functional blocks were found to be sensitive to radiation, including the Voltage Reference, DAC, IIL Clock, and IIL SAR.

Charge transport mechanism analysis of Al/CdS:Sr{sup 2+}/ITO device under dark and light

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Datta, Joydeep; Das, Mrinmay; Dey, Arka

2016-05-06

In this study, we have synthesized CdS:Sr{sup 2+} by hydrothermal technique. Material property has been studied by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Scanning electron microscope (SEM) and UV-vis absorption spectroscopy. XRD data revealed that there are mixed phases of CdS and SrS in the synthesized sample. The optical band gap of the material was estimated as 3.15 eV from UV-vis data. The synthesized material has been applied in metal-semiconductor device and transport properties have been analyzed by measuring current–voltage characteristics under dark and light conditions at room temperature. Variation in different device parameters like ideality factor, barrier height and series resistance ofmore » Al/CdS:Sr{sup 2+}/ITO device were analyzed by using Cheung’s function.« less

Electrochemical Detection of Nicotine Using Cerium Nanoparticles Modified Carbon Paste Sensor and Anionic Surfactant

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fekry, A. M.; Azab, S. M.; Shehata, M.; Ameer, M. A.

A promising electrochemical sensor for the determination of nicotine (NIC) was developed by electrodeposition of Ce-Nanoparticles on a carbon paste electrode (CPE). The interaction of nicotine was studied using cyclic voltammetry (CV), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), Scanning electron microscope (SEM) and Energy Dispersive X-Ray Analysis (EDX) techniques, in both aqueous and micellar media. The NIC Measurements were carried out in Britton-Robinson (B-R) buffer solution of pH range (2.0-8.0) containing (1.0 mM) sodium dodecylsulfate (SDS). The linear response range of the sensor was between 8 × 10-6 and 10-4 M with a detection limit of 9.43 × 10-8 M. Satisfactory results were achieved for the detection of NIC in real samples as urine and different brands of commercial cigarettes.

Analytical electron microscope study of eight ataxites

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Novotny, P. M.; Goldstein, J. I.; Williams, D. B.

1982-01-01

Optical and electron optical (SEM, TEM, AEM) techniques were employed to investigate the fine structure of eight ataxite-iron meteorites. Structural studies indicated that the ataxites can be divided into two groups: a Widmanstaetten decomposition group and a martensite decomposition group. The Widmanstaetten decomposition group has a Type I plessite microstructure and the central taenite regions contain highly dislocated lath martensite. The steep M shaped Ni gradients in the taenite are consistent with the fast cooling rates, of not less than 500 C/my, observed for this group. The martensite decomposition group has a Type III plessite microstructure and contains all the chemical group IVB ataxites. The maximum taenite Ni contents vary from 47.5 to 52.7 wt % and are consistent with slow cooling to low temperatures of not greater than 350 C at cooling rates of not greater than 25 C/my.

Highly Sophisticated Virtual Laboratory Instruments in Education

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gaskins, T.

2006-12-01

Many areas of Science have advanced or stalled according to the ability to see what can not normally be seen. Visual understanding has been key to many of the world's greatest breakthroughs, such as discovery of DNAs double helix. Scientists use sophisticated instruments to see what the human eye can not. Light microscopes, scanning electron microscopes (SEM), spectrometers and atomic force microscopes are employed to examine and learn the details of the extremely minute. It's rare that students prior to university have access to such instruments, or are granted full ability to probe and magnify as desired. Virtual Lab, by providing highly authentic software instruments and comprehensive imagery of real specimens, provides them this opportunity. Virtual Lab's instruments let explorers operate virtual devices on a personal computer to examine real specimens. Exhaustive sets of images systematically and robotically photographed at thousands of positions and multiple magnifications and focal points allow students to zoom in and focus on the most minute detail of each specimen. Controls on each Virtual Lab device interactively and smoothly move the viewer through these images to display the specimen as the instrument saw it. Users control position, magnification, focal length, filters and other parameters. Energy dispersion spectrometry is combined with SEM imagery to enable exploration of chemical composition at minute scale and arbitrary location. Annotation capabilities allow scientists, teachers and students to indicate important features or areas. Virtual Lab is a joint project of NASA and the Beckman Institute at the University of Illinois at Urbana- Champaign. Four instruments currently compose the Virtual Lab suite: A scanning electron microscope and companion energy dispersion spectrometer, a high-power light microscope, and a scanning probe microscope that captures surface properties to the level of atoms. Descriptions of instrument operating principles and uses are also part of Virtual Lab. The Virtual Lab software and its increasingly rich collection of specimens are free to anyone. This presentation describes Virtual Lab and its uses in formal and informal education.

Provenance study through analysis of microstructural characteristics using an optical microscope and scanning electron microscopy for Goryeo celadon excavated from the seabed.

PubMed

Min-su, Han

2013-08-01

This paper aims at identifying the provenance of Goryeo celadons by understanding its microstructural characteristics, such as particles, blisters, forms and amount of pores, and the presence of crystal formation, bodies, and glazes and its boundary, using an optical microscope and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The analysis of the reproduced samples shows that the glazed layer of the sherd fired at higher temperatures has lower viscosity and therefore it encourages the blisters to be combined together and the layer to become more transparent. In addition, the result showed that the vitrification and melting process of clay minerals such as feldspars and quartzs on the bodies was accelerated for those samples. To factor such characteristics of the microstructure and apply it to the sherds, the samples could be divided into six categories based on status, such as small particles with many small pores or mainly large and small circular pores in the bodies, only a limited number of varied sized blisters in the glazes, and a few blisters and needle-shaped crystals on the boundary surface. In conclusion, the analysis of the microstructural characteristics using an optical microscope and SEM have proven to be useful as a categorizing reference factor in a provenance study on Goryeo celadons.

Focussed Ion Beam Milling and Scanning Electron Microscopy of Brain Tissue

PubMed Central

Knott, Graham; Rosset, Stéphanie; Cantoni, Marco

2011-01-01

This protocol describes how biological samples, like brain tissue, can be imaged in three dimensions using the focussed ion beam/scanning electron microscope (FIB/SEM). The samples are fixed with aldehydes, heavy metal stained using osmium tetroxide and uranyl acetate. They are then dehydrated with alcohol and infiltrated with resin, which is then hardened. Using a light microscope and ultramicrotome with glass knives, a small block containing the region interest close to the surface is made. The block is then placed inside the FIB/SEM, and the ion beam used to roughly mill a vertical face along one side of the block, close to this region. Using backscattered electrons to image the underlying structures, a smaller face is then milled with a finer ion beam and the surface scrutinised more closely to determine the exact area of the face to be imaged and milled. The parameters of the microscope are then set so that the face is repeatedly milled and imaged so that serial images are collected through a volume of the block. The image stack will typically contain isotropic voxels with dimenions as small a 4 nm in each direction. This image quality in any imaging plane enables the user to analyse cell ultrastructure at any viewing angle within the image stack. PMID:21775953

3D-measurement using a scanning electron microscope with four Everhart-Thornley detectors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vynnyk, Taras; Scheuer, Renke; Reithmeier, Eduard

2011-06-01

Due to the emerging degree of miniaturization in microstructures, Scanning-Electron-Microscopes (SEM) have become important instruments in the quality assurance of chip manufacturing. With a two- or multiple detector system for secondary electrons, a SEM can be used for the reconstruction of three dimensional surface profiles. Although there are several projects dealing with the reconstruction of three dimensional surfaces using electron microscopes with multiple Everhart-Thornley detectors (ETD), there is no profound knowledge of the behaviour of emitted electrons. Hence, several values, which are used for reconstruction algorithms, such as the photometric method, are only estimates; for instance, the exact collection efficiency of the ETD, which is still unknown. This paper deals with the simulation of electron trajectories in a one-, two- and four-detector system with varying working distances and varying grid currents. For each detector, the collection efficiency is determined by taking the working distance and grid current into account. Based on the gathered information, a new collection grid, which provides a homogenous emission signal for each detector of a multiple detector system, is developed. Finally, the results of the preceding tests are utilized for a reconstruction of a three dimensional surface using the photometric method with a non-lambert intensity distribution.

A Multiscale Material Testing System for In Situ Optical and Electron Microscopes and Its Application

PubMed Central

Ye, Xuan; Cui, Zhiguo; Fang, Huajun; Li, Xide

2017-01-01

We report a novel material testing system (MTS) that uses hierarchical designs for in-situ mechanical characterization of multiscale materials. This MTS is adaptable for use in optical microscopes (OMs) and scanning electron microscopes (SEMs). The system consists of a microscale material testing module (m-MTM) and a nanoscale material testing module (n-MTM). The MTS can measure mechanical properties of materials with characteristic lengths ranging from millimeters to tens of nanometers, while load capacity can vary from several hundred micronewtons to several nanonewtons. The m-MTM is integrated using piezoelectric motors and piezoelectric stacks/tubes to form coarse and fine testing modules, with specimen length from millimeters to several micrometers, and displacement distances of 12 mm with 0.2 µm resolution for coarse level and 8 µm with 1 nm resolution for fine level. The n-MTM is fabricated using microelectromechanical system technology to form active and passive components and realizes material testing for specimen lengths ranging from several hundred micrometers to tens of nanometers. The system’s capabilities are demonstrated by in-situ OM and SEM testing of the system’s performance and mechanical properties measurements of carbon fibers and metallic microwires. In-situ multiscale deformation tests of Bacillus subtilis filaments are also presented. PMID:28777341

Silicone intraocular lens surface calcification in a patient with asteroid hyalosis.

PubMed

Matsumura, Kazuhiro; Takano, Masahiko; Shimizu, Kimiya; Nemoto, Noriko

2012-07-01

To confirm a substance presence on the posterior intraocular lens (IOL) surface in a patient with asteroid hyalosis. An 80-year-old man had IOLs for approximately 12 years. Opacities and neodymium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet pits were observed on the posterior surface of the right IOL. Asteroid hyalosis and an epiretinal membrane were observed OD. An IOL exchange was performed on 24 March 2008, and the explanted IOL was analyzed using a light microscope and a transmission electron microscope with a scanning electron micrograph and an energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometer for elemental analysis. To confirm asteroid hyalosis, asteroid bodies were examined with the ionic liquid (EtMeIm+ BF4-) method using a field emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM) with digital beam control RGB mapping. X-ray spectrometry of the deposits revealed high calcium and phosphorus peaks. Spectrometry revealed that the posterior IOL surface opacity was due to a calcium-phosphorus compound. Examination of the asteroid bodies using FE-SEM with digital beam control RGB mapping confirmed calcium and phosphorus as the main components. Calcium hydrogen phosphate dihydrate deposits were probably responsible for the posterior IOL surface opacity. Furthermore, analysis of the asteroid bodies demonstrated that calcium and phosphorus were its main components.

The durability of phosphoric acid promoted bioglass-dentin interaction layer.

PubMed

Bakry, A S; Takahashi, H; Otsuki, M; Tagami, J

2013-04-01

Phosphoric acid-Bioglass 45S5 paste can create an interaction layer formed of calcium-phosphate crystals on the dentin surface. In this study, the efficiency of decreasing the dentin permeability exerted by the interaction layer formed between bioglass and dentin was compared to a resin-containing oxalate desensitizing agent (MS Coat One) and a resin-free oxalate desensitizing agent (Super Seal). Dentin permeability was measured before/after a brushing abrasion challenge, followed by examining the top and the fractured dentin surfaces with a field emission scanning electron microscope. Moreover, the chemical nature of the compounds formed on top of the dentin surface was examined using the field emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM) equipped with an energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscope (EDS), and the crystalline structures of the dentinal surfaces were examined by X-ray diffraction (XRD). The results showed that application of 45S5 bioglass paste to dentin was able to occlude patent dentinal tubule orifices with a layer of calcium-phosphate crystals, while the oxalate containing agents were able to form small crystals which were found in dentinal tubule orifices and scattered along the superficial parts of the dentinal tubule lumen. The brushing-abrasion challenge significantly increased the permeability of dentin treated by Super Seal and MS Coat One, while these challenges had no significant effect on the dentin permeability of specimens treated with 45S5 bioglass paste. The new technique provided better durability than two products available on the market. Moreover, our previous research showed the biocompatibility of using this technique on dental pulp cells, suggesting that this technique can aid in treating dentin hypersensitivity cases. Copyright © 2012 Academy of Dental Materials. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Nd:YOV4 laser polishing on WC-Co HVOF coating

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Giorleo, L.; Ceretti, E.; Montesano, L.; La Vecchia, G. M.

2017-10-01

WC/Co coatings are widely applied to different types of components due to their extraordinary performance properties including high hardness and wear properties. In industrial applications High Velocity Oxy-Fuel (HVOF) technique is extensively used to deposit hard metal coatings. The main advantage of HVOF compared to other thermal spray techniques is the ability to accelerate the melted powder particles of the feedstock material at a relatively high velocity, leading to obtain good adhesion and low porosity level. However, despite the mentioned benefits, the surface finish quality of WC-Co HVOF coatings results to be poor (Ra higher than 5 µm) thus a mechanical polishing process is often needed. The main problem is that the high hardness of coating leads the polishing process expensive in terms of time and tool wear; moreover polishing becomes difficult and not always possible in case of limited accessibility of a part, micro dimensions or undercuts. Nowadays a different technique available to improve surface roughness is the laser polishing process. The polishing principle is based on focused radiation of a laser beam that melts a microscopic layer of surface material. Compared to conventional polishing process (as grinding) it ensures the possibility of avoiding tool wear, less pollution (no abrasive or liquids), no debris, less machining time and coupled with a galvo system it results to be more suitable in case of 3D complex workpieces. In this paper laser polishing process executed with a Nd:YOV4 Laser was investigated: the effect of different process parameters as initial coating morphology, laser scan speed and loop cycles were tested. Results were compared by a statistical approach in terms of average roughness along with a morphological analysis carried out by Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) investigation coupled with EDS spectra.

Effect of ECAP processing on corrosion resistance of AE21 and AE42 magnesium alloys

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Minárik, P.; Král, R.; Janeček, M.

2013-09-01

Corrosion properties of AE21 and AE42 magnesium alloys were investigated in the extruded state and after subsequent 8 passes of Equal Channel Angular Pressing (ECAP) via route Bc, by Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS) in 0.1 M NaCl solution. The resulting microstructure was observed by the Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM) and the Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM). Corrosion layer created after 7 days of immersion was observed by (SEM) in order to explain different evolution of the corrosion resistance after ECAP processing in both alloys. It was found that Al-rich Al11RE3 dispersed particles (present in both alloys) strongly influence the corrosion process and enhance the corrosion resistance. Ultra-fine grained structure was found to reduce the corrosion resistance in AE21. On the other hand, the microstructure of AE42 after ECAP and particularly the better distribution of the alloying elements in the matrix enhance the corrosion resistance when compared to the extruded material.

Microbial population Diversity of indigenous acidophilic bacteria for recovering the valuable resources

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, B.; Cho, K.; Lee, D.; Choi, N.; Park, C.

2011-12-01

A taxon- or group-specific PCR primer serves as a valuable tool for studying the bioleaching mechanisms of a particular group of microorganisms. Especially for an uncultured (or very difficult to isolate from their environments) group of microorganisms, the group-specific PCR primer is essential for the investigation of distribution patterns and the estimation of genetic diversity of the target microorganisms. This study investigated the Biodiversity through molecular biology method using the three different indigenous acidophilic bacteria collected from acid mine drainage in Go-seong and Yeon-hwa, Korea and acidic hot spring in Hatchnobaru, Japan. We performed the optical analysis (phase-contrast microscope and SEM), base sequencing. In the phase-contrast microscope(X 4,000) and SEM analysis, the rod-shaped bacteria with 1μm in length were observed. The results of base sequencing using EzTaxon server data revealed Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans (Go-seong - 97.79%, Yeon-hwa - 97.90% and Hatchnobaru - 97.97%)

Rheological Analysis of Live and Dead Microalgae Suspensions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Song, Young Seok; Kang, Chul; Jeong, Jiwon; Kim, Kyu-Oh; Lim, Eunju

2018-04-01

We investigate the rheological properties of microalgae suspensions that are currently being used in various applications. Two kinds of microalgae, chlorella and Synechococcus, were used for preparation of the suspensions, and their rheological characteristics were analyzed experimentally. In order to evaluate the viability of algae, we performed live and dead tests using trypan blue staining assays. Morphological analyses for the algae were conducted using a scanning electron microscope (SEM) and an optical microscope (OP). We examined the viscoelastic behavior of the live and the dead algae suspensions by performing dynamic oscillatory shear tests.

A scanning electron microscopy study of the macro-crystalline structure of 2-(2,4-dinitrobenzyl) pyridine

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ware, Jacqueline; Hammond, Ernest C., Jr.

1989-01-01

The compound, 2-(2,4-dinitrobenzyl) pyridine, was synthesized in the laboratory; an introductory level electron microscopy study of the macro-crystalline structure was conducted using the scanning electron microscope (SEM). The structure of these crystals was compared with the macrostructure of the crystal of 2-(2,4-dinitrobenzyl) pyridinium bromide, the hydrobromic salt of the compound which was also synthesized in the laboratory. A scanning electron microscopy crystal study was combined with a study of the principle of the electron microscope.

Effect of CO2 laser on Class V cavities of human molar teeth under a scanning electron microscope.

PubMed

Watanabe, I; Lopes, R A; Brugnera, A; Katayama, A Y; Gardini, A E

1996-01-01

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of CO2 laser on dentin of class V cavities of extracted human molar teeth using a scanning electron microscope. SEM showed a smooth area with concentric lines formed by melting with subsequent recrystallization of dentin, areas of granulation, vitrified surface, numerous cracks, and irregular areas of descamative dentin. These data indicate that CO2 laser (4 and 6 watts) produces dentin alterations and limit its clinical applications.

Changes in surface characteristics of two different resin composites after 1 year water storage: An SEM and AFM study.

PubMed

Tekçe, Neslihan; Pala, Kansad; Demirci, Mustafa; Tuncer, Safa

2016-11-01

To evaluate changes in surface characteristics of two different resin composites after 1 year of water storage using a profilometer, Vickers hardness, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and atomic force microscopy (AFM). A total of 46 composite disk specimens (10 mm in diameter and 2 mm thick) were fabricated using Clearfil Majesty Esthetic and Clearfil Majesty Posterior (Kuraray Medical Co, Tokyo, Japan). Ten specimens from each composite were used for surface roughness and microhardness tests (n = 10). For each composite, scanning electron microscope (SEM, n = 2) and atomic force microscope (AFM, n = 1) images were obtained after 24 h and 1 year of water storage. The data were analyzed using two-way analysis of variance and a post-hoc Bonferroni test. Microhardness values of Clearfil Majesty Esthetic decreased significantly (78.15-63.74, p = 0.015) and surface roughness values did not change after 1 year of water storage (0.36-0.39, p = 0.464). Clearfil Majesty Posterior microhardness values were quite stable (138.74-137.25, p = 0.784), and surface roughness values increased significantly (0.39-0.48, p = 0.028) over 1 year. One year of water storage caused microhardness values for Clearfil Majesty Esthetic to decrease and the surface roughness of Clearfil Majesty Posterior increased. AFM and SEM images demonstrated surface detoration of the materials after 1 year and ensured similar results with the quantitative test methods. SCANNING 38:694-700, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

In-situ investigation of laser surface modifications of WC-Co hard metals inside a scanning electron microscope

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mueller, H.; Wetzig, K.; Schultrich, B.; Pompe, Wolfgang; Chapliev, N. I.; Konov, Vitaly I.; Pimenov, S. M.; Prokhorov, Alexander M.

1989-05-01

The investigation of laser interaction with solid surfaces and of the resulting mechanism of surface modification are of technical interest to optimize technological processes, and they are also of fundamental scientific importance. Most instructive indormation is available with the ail of the in-situ techniques. For instance, measuring of the photon emission of the irradiated surface ane the plasma torch (if it is produced) simultaneously to laser action, makes it possible to gain a global characterization of the laser-solid interaction. In order to obtain additional information about surface and structure modifications in microscopic detail , a laser and scanning electron microscope were combined in to a tandem equipment (LASEM). Inside this eqiipment the microscopic observation is carried out directly at the laser irradiated area without any displacement of the sample. In this way, the stepwise development of surface modification during multipulse irradiation is visible in microscopic details and much more reliable information about the surface modification process is obtainable in comparison to an external laser irradiation. Such kind of equipments were realized simultaneously and independently in the Institut of General Physics (Moscow) and the Central Institute of Solid State Physics and Material Research (Dresden) using a CO2 and a LTd-glass-laser, respectively. In the following the advantages and possibilities of a LASEM shall be demonstrated by some selected investigations of WC-CO hardmeta. The results were obtained in collaboration by both groups with the aid of the pulsed CO2-laser. The TEA CO2 laser was transmitted through a ZnSe-window into the sample chamber of the SEM and focused ofAo tfte sample surface. It was operated in TEM - oo mode with a repetition rate of about 1 pulse per second. A peak power density of about 160 MW/cm2 was achieved in front of the sample surface.

Structural and crystal orientation analysis of Al-Si coating on Ni-based superalloy by means of EBSD technique

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Muslimin, A. N.; Sugiarti, E.; Aritonang, T.; Purawiardi, R. I.; Desiati, R. D.

2018-03-01

Ni-based superalloy is widely used for high performance components in power generation turbine due to its excellent mechanical properties. However, Ni-based superalloy has low oxidation resistantance. Therefore, surface coating is required to improve oxidation resistance at high temperatures. Al-Si as a coting material was successfully co-deposited on Ni-based substrate by pack cementation method at 900 °C for about 4 hours. The oxidation test was carried out at high temperature of 1000 °C for 100 hours. Micro structural characterization and analysis on crystal orientation were perfomed by using Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscope (FE-SEM) and Electron Back Scatter Diffraction (EBSD) technique, respectively. The results showed that the coating layer with a homogenous layer and had a thickness of 53 μm consisting of β-NiAl with cubic structure and Ni2Al3 with hexagonal structure. TGO layer was developed after oxidation and had a thickness of about 5 μm consisting of α-Al2O3 and spinel NiCr2O4. The phase composition map and crystal orientation acquired by EBSD technique was also discussed both in TGO and coating layers.

Simulation of FIB-SEM images for analysis of porous microstructures.

PubMed

Prill, Torben; Schladitz, Katja

2013-01-01

Focused ion beam nanotomography-scanning electron microscopy tomography yields high-quality three-dimensional images of materials microstructures at the nanometer scale combining serial sectioning using a focused ion beam with SEM. However, FIB-SEM tomography of highly porous media leads to shine-through artifacts preventing automatic segmentation of the solid component. We simulate the SEM process in order to generate synthetic FIB-SEM image data for developing and validating segmentation methods. Monte-Carlo techniques yield accurate results, but are too slow for the simulation of FIB-SEM tomography requiring hundreds of SEM images for one dataset alone. Nevertheless, a quasi-analytic description of the specimen and various acceleration techniques, including a track compression algorithm and an acceleration for the simulation of secondary electrons, cut down the computing time by orders of magnitude, allowing for the first time to simulate FIB-SEM tomography. © Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Polarized Light Microscopy

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Frandsen, Athela F.

2016-01-01

Polarized light microscopy (PLM) is a technique which employs the use of polarizing filters to obtain substantial optical property information about the material which is being observed. This information can be combined with other microscopy techniques to confirm or elucidate the identity of an unknown material, determine whether a particular contaminant is present (as with asbestos analysis), or to provide important information that can be used to refine a manufacturing or chemical process. PLM was the major microscopy technique in use for identification of materials for nearly a century since its introduction in 1834 by William Fox Talbot, as other techniques such as SEM (Scanning Electron Microscopy), FTIR (Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy), XPD (X-ray Powder Diffraction), and TEM (Transmission Electron Microscopy) had not yet been developed. Today, it is still the only technique approved by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for asbestos analysis, and is often the technique first applied for identification of unknown materials. PLM uses different configurations in order to determine different material properties. With each configuration additional clues can be gathered, leading to a conclusion of material identity. With no polarizing filter, the microscope can be used just as a stereo optical microscope, and view qualities such as morphology, size, and number of phases. With a single polarizing filter (single polars), additional properties can be established, such as pleochroism, individual refractive indices, and dispersion staining. With two polarizing filters (crossed polars), even more can be deduced: isotropy vs. anisotropy, extinction angle, birefringence/degree of birefringence, sign of elongation, and anomalous polarization colors, among others. With the use of PLM many of these properties can be determined in a matter of seconds, even for those who are not highly trained. McCrone, a leader in the field of polarized light microscopy, often advised, If you cant determine a specific optical property of a particle after two minutes, move onto another configuration. Since optical properties can be seen so very quickly and easily under polarized light, it is only necessary to spend a maximum of two minutes on a technique to determine a particular property, though often only a few seconds are required.

Using digital colour to increase the realistic appearance of SEM micrographs of bloodstains.

PubMed

Hortolà, Policarp

2010-10-01

Although in the scientific-research literature the micrographs from scanning electron microscopes (SEMs) are usually displayed in greyscale, the potential of colour resources provided by the SEM-coupled image-acquiring systems and, subsidiarily, by image-manipulation free softwares deserves be explored as a tool for colouring SEM micrographs of bloodstains. After acquiring greyscale SEM micrographs of a (dark red to the naked eye) human blood smear on grey chert, they were manually obtained in red tone using both the SEM-coupled image-acquiring system and an image-manipulation free software, as well as they were automatically generated in thermal tone using the SEM-coupled system. Red images obtained by the SEM-coupled system demonstrated lower visual-discrimination capability than the other coloured images, whereas those in red generated by the free software rendered better magnitude of scopic information than the red images generated by the SEM-coupled system. Thermal-tone images, although were further from the real sample colour than the red ones, not only increased their realistic appearance over the greyscale images, but also yielded the best visual-discrimination capability among all the coloured SEM micrographs, and fairly enhanced the relief effect of the SEM micrographs over both the greyscale and the red images. The application of digital colour by means of the facilities provided by an SEM-coupled image-acquiring system or, when required, by an image-manipulation free software provides a user-friendly, quick and inexpensive way of obtaining coloured SEM micrographs of bloodstains, avoiding to do sophisticated, time-consuming colouring procedures. Although this work was focused on bloodstains, well probably other monochromatic or quasi-monochromatic samples are also susceptible of increasing their realistic appearance by colouring them using the simple methods utilized in this study.

Three-dimensional profile extraction from CD-SEM image and top/bottom CD measurement by line-edge roughness analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yamaguchi, Atsuko; Ohashi, Takeyoshi; Kawasaki, Takahiro; Inoue, Osamu; Kawada, Hiroki

2013-04-01

A new method for calculating critical dimension (CDs) at the top and bottom of three-dimensional (3D) pattern profiles from a critical-dimension scanning electron microscope (CD-SEM) image, called as "T-sigma method", is proposed and evaluated. Without preparing a library of database in advance, T-sigma can estimate a feature of a pattern sidewall. Furthermore, it supplies the optimum edge-definition (i.e., threshold level for determining edge position from a CDSEM signal) to detect the top and bottom of the pattern. This method consists of three steps. First, two components of line-edge roughness (LER); noise-induced bias (i.e., LER bias) and unbiased component (i.e., bias-free LER) are calculated with set threshold level. Second, these components are calculated with various threshold values, and the threshold-dependence of these two components, "T-sigma graph", is obtained. Finally, the optimum threshold value for the top and the bottom edge detection are given by the analysis of T-sigma graph. T-sigma was applied to CD-SEM images of three kinds of resist-pattern samples. In addition, reference metrology was performed with atomic force microscope (AFM) and scanning transmission electron microscope (STEM). Sensitivity of CD measured by T-sigma to the reference CD was higher than or equal to that measured by the conventional edge definition. Regarding the absolute measurement accuracy, T-sigma showed better results than the conventional definition. Furthermore, T-sigma graphs were calculated from CD-SEM images of two kinds of resist samples and compared with corresponding STEM observation results. Both bias-free LER and LER bias increased as the detected edge point moved from the bottom to the top of the pattern in the case that the pattern had a straight sidewall and a round top. On the other hand, they were almost constant in the case that the pattern had a re-entrant profile. T-sigma will be able to reveal a re-entrant feature. From these results, it is found that T-sigma method can provide rough cross-sectional pattern features and achieve quick, easy and accurate measurements of top and bottom CD.

Evaluating the Use of Synthetic Replicas for SEM Identification of Bloodstains (with Emphasis on Archaeological and Ethnographic Artifacts).

PubMed

Hortolà, Policarp

2015-12-01

Some archaeological or ethnographic specimens are unavailable for direct examination using a scanning electron microscope (SEM) due to methodological obstacles or legal issues. In order to assess the feasibility of using SEM synthetic replicas for the identification of bloodstains (BSs) via morphology of red blood cells (RBCs), three fragments of different natural raw material (inorganic, stone; plant, wood; animal, shell) were smeared with peripheral human blood. Afterwards, molds and casts of the bloodstained areas were made using vinyl polysiloxane (VPS) silicone impression and polyurethane (PU) resin casting material, respectively. Then, the original samples and the resulting casts were coated with gold and examined in secondary-electron mode using a high-vacuum SEM. Results suggest that PU resin casts obtained from VPS silicone molds can preserve RBC morphology in BSs, and consequently that synthetic replicas are feasible for SEM identification of BSs on cultural heritage specimens made of natural raw materials. Although the focus of this study was on BSs, the method reported in this paper may be applicable to organic residues other than blood, as well as to the surface of other specimens when, for any reason, the original is unavailable for an SEM.

Environmental scanning electron microscope imaging examples related to particle analysis.

PubMed

Wight, S A; Zeissler, C J

1993-08-01

This work provides examples of some of the imaging capabilities of environmental scanning electron microscopy applied to easily charged samples relevant to particle analysis. Environmental SEM (also referred to as high pressure or low vacuum SEM) can address uncoated samples that are known to be difficult to image. Most of these specimens are difficult to image by conventional SEM even when coated with a conductive layer. Another area where environmental SEM is particularly applicable is for specimens not compatible with high vacuum, such as volatile specimens. Samples from which images were obtained that otherwise may not have been possible by conventional methods included fly ash particles on an oiled plastic membrane impactor substrate, a one micrometer diameter fiber mounted on the end of a wire, uranium oxide particles embedded in oil-bearing cellulose nitrate, teflon and polycarbonate filter materials with collected air particulate matter, polystyrene latex spheres on cellulosic filter paper, polystyrene latex spheres "loosely" sitting on a glass slide, and subsurface tracks in an etched nuclear track-etch detector. Surface charging problems experienced in high vacuum SEMs are virtually eliminated in the low vacuum SEM, extending imaging capabilities to samples previously difficult to use or incompatible with conventional methods.

Application of Replica Technique and SEM in Accuracy Measurement of Ceramic Crowns

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Trifkovic, B.; Budak, I.; Todorovic, A.; Hodolic, J.; Puskar, T.; Jevremovic, D.; Vukelic, D.

2012-01-01

The paper presents a comparative study of the measuring values of the marginal gap related to the ceramic crowns made by dental CAD/CAM system using the replica technique and SEM. The study was conducted using three experimental groups, which consisted of ceramic crowns manufactured by the Cerec CAD/CAM system. The scanning procedure was carried out using three specialized dental 3D digitization systems from the Cerec family - two types of extraoral optical scanning systems and an intraoral optical scanner. Measurements of the marginal gap were carried out using the replica technique and SEM. The comparison of aggregate values of the marginal gap using the replica technique showed a statistically significant difference between the systems. The measured values of marginal gaps of ceramic crowns using the replica technique were significantly lower compared to those measured by SEM. The results indicate that the choice of technique for measuring the accuracy of ceramic crowns influences the final results of investigation.

Multiple plant hormones and cell wall metabolism regulate apple fruit maturation patterns and texture attributes

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Molecular events regulating apple fruit ripening and sensory quality are largely unknown. Such knowledge is essential for genomic-assisted apple breeding and postharvest quality management. In this study, a parallel transcriptome profile analysis, scanning electron microscopic (SEM) examination and...

Detection and distribution analysis of organosilicon compounds in wood by means of SEM-EDX and micro-CT

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Vetter, L. de; Cnudde, V.; Masschaele, B.

This article explores the potential of a scanning electron microscope with an energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer in combination with a new non-destructive 3D visualization technique, X-ray micro-computed tomography, as detection methods for siloxanes/silanes mixtures applied as wood preservatives. In order to have a higher contrast, bromine functional silane was added to the mixture. Scots pine and beech samples were dipped or impregnated with the mixture and subsequently scanned. Both silicon and bromine were easily detectable with both techniques. Dipped siloxanes/silanes covered the cell walls partly in beech and the lumen partly or completely in Scots pine. Impregnated siloxanes/silanes could bemore » found in the cell walls of both wood species. From the results, it can be concluded that, under the circumstances as described in the article, impregnation with a siloxane is necessary to have cell wall penetration. The combination of scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and micro-computed tomography can offer important information concerning the localization of certain products inside wood. While the last of these can monitor changes in 3D, the other two techniques can provide detailed 2D information. Both techniques are complementary and provide important extra information.« less

Imaging of Norway spruce early somatic embryos with the ESEM, Cryo-SEM and laser scanning microscope.

PubMed

Neděla, Vilém; Hřib, Jiří; Havel, Ladislav; Hudec, Jiří; Runštuk, Jiří

2016-05-01

This article describes the surface structure of Norway spruce early somatic embryos (ESEs) as a typical culture with asynchronous development. The microstructure of extracellular matrix covering ESEs were observed using the environmental scanning electron microscope as a primary tool and using the scanning electron microscope with cryo attachment and laser electron microscope as a complementary tool allowing our results to be proven independently. The fresh samples were observed in conditions of the air environment of the environmental scanning electron microscope (ESEM) with the pressure from 550Pa to 690Pa and the low temperature of the sample from -18°C to -22°C. The samples were studied using two different types of detector to allow studying either the thin surface structure or material composition. The scanning electron microscope with cryo attachment was used for imaging frozen extracellular matrix microstructure with higher resolution. The combination of both electron microscopy methods was suitable for observation of "native" plant samples, allowing correct evaluation of our results, free of error and artifacts. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

An evaluation of a combined scanning probe and optical microscope for lunar regolith studies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, S.; Pike, W. T.; Staufer, U.; Claus, D.; Rodenburg, J. M.

2011-12-01

The microscopic properties of the lunar regolith such as the shape, the surface texture and the size distribution are required for an understanding of both past surface processes and potential hazards for future human exploration [1]. To reveal the particle morphology at the sub micrometer scale, scanning-probe microscopy (SPM), first used on the 2008 Phoenix mission [1], is a proven approach; however, there are two main challenges for the measurement of lunar particles. Firstly, the SPM tip is liable to move particles during scanning, even when using the lower contact forces of the dynamic-mode imaging. Hence the particles need to be stabilised during imaging. Secondly, typically the AFM tip extends about 10 μm from its cantilever, so larger particles protruding more than this height above their substrates cannot be scanned completely. To immobilize particles and eliminate large particles during SPM scanning, micromachined Si substrates, which have been successfully applied in the Phoenix project for Mars investigation in 2008 [2], have been investigated for lunar analogue material. On these substrates micrometer pits are patterned and serve as traps to enhance the stability of the AFM scanning by grasping the particles. In addition, the diameter of pits can determine the size of dusts to be captured and reduce the adhesion for the larger dust and so eliminate the oversized particles. To extend the imaging range and assist in selecting scan areas for the SPM, we use a type of lensless optical imaging (LOM) which uses ptychographic diffractive imaging [3] to eliminate the restrictions and performance limitations of conventional focusing devices. As a reference, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) which minimizes particle-probe interactions and has the advantage of an extended depth of field, is employed to image the same particle fields at resolutions covering both the SPM and LOM. By comparing the differences and the similarities between SEM and LOM images, the ability of LOM for illuminating the details about the lunar particles sample, is demonstrated. The analysis of SEM and SPM images of the same particles of JSC-LunarA analogue soil reveals the potential of the SPM to obtain reliable microscopic images of lunar dusts including detailed morphology with the help of the micromachined Si substrates. [1] J. D. Carpenter, O. Angerer, M. Durante, D. Linnarson, W. T. Pike, "Life Sciences Investigations for ESA's First Lunar Lander," Earth, Moon, and Planets, Vol.107, pp. 11-23, 2010. [2] S. Vijendran, H.Sykulska, and W. T. Pike, "AFM investigation of Martian soil simulant on micromachined Si substrates," Journal of Microscopy, Vol.227, pp.236-245, Sep. 2007. [3] J.M. Rodenburg, "Ptychography and related diffractive imaging techniques," Advances in Imaging and Electron Physics, Vol.150, pp. 87-184, 2008

Eifel maars: Quantitative shape characterization of juvenile ash particles (Eifel Volcanic Field, Germany)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rausch, Juanita; Grobéty, Bernard; Vonlanthen, Pierre

2015-01-01

The Eifel region in western central Germany is the type locality for maar volcanism, which is classically interpreted to be the result of explosive eruptions due to shallow interaction between magma and external water (i.e. phreatomagmatic eruptions). Sedimentary structures, deposit features and particle morphology found in many maar deposits of the West Eifel Volcanic Field (WEVF), in contrast to deposits in the East Eifel Volcanic Field (EEVF), lack the diagnostic criteria of typical phreatomagmatic deposits. The aim of this study was to determine quantitatively the shape of WEVF and EEVF maar ash particles in order to infer the governing eruption style in Eifel maar volcanoes. The quantitative shape characterization was done by analyzing fractal dimensions of particle contours (125-250 μm sieve fraction) obtained from Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and SEM micro-computed tomography (SEM micro-CT) images. The fractal analysis (dilation method) and the fractal spectrum technique confirmed that the WEVF and EEVF maar particles have contrasting multifractal shapes. Whereas the low small-scale dimensions of EEVF particles (Eppelsberg Green Unit) coincide with previously published values for phreatomagmatic particles, the WEVF particles (Meerfelder Maar, Pulvermaar and Ulmener Maar) have larger values indicating more complex small-scale features, which are characteristic for magmatic particles. These quantitative results are strengthening the qualitative microscopic observations, that the studied WEVF maar eruptions are rather dominated by magmatic processes. The different eruption styles in the two volcanic fields can be explained by the different geological and hydrological settings found in both regions and the different chemical compositions of the magmas.

Comparative Evaluation of Physical Surface Changes and Incidence of Separation in Rotary Nickel-Titanium Instruments: An in Vitro SEM Study

PubMed Central

Kaul, Rudra; Farooq, Riyaz; Kaul, Vibhuti; Khateeb, Shafayat Ullah; Purra, Aamir Rashid; Mahajan, Roopali

2014-01-01

Introduction: The aim of the present study was to comparatively evaluate the physical surface changes and incidence of separation in rotary nickel-titanium (NiTi) instruments using scanning electron microscope (SEM). Methods and Materials: A total number of 210 freshly extracted human maxillary and mandibular first molars were selected and distributed between three groups. Three different systems of rotary NiTi instruments, namely ProFile (PF), RaCe (RC) and Twisted File (TF), were used to prepare the canals using crown-down technique. All instruments were evaluated by means of SEM with 500× and 1500× magnifications, at four different stages; before use, after preparation of 7 and 14 canals and after instrument separation. Photomicrographs were also taken. The data was analyzed using the Kruskal-Wallis test and the level of significance was set at 0.001. It was found that H (HAT matrix) was 15.316 with 2 degrees of freedom. Moreover the various groups were compared using the Student-Newman-Keuls test with P<0.05 and it was found that all groups were significantly different. Results: RC showed the maximum wear of the surface followed by TF (P<0.05). PF showed the minimum wear except for its tip. There was no correlation between electropolishing and file fracture. Insignificant difference was observed in the mean number of canals shaped by PF and TF before their separation. Conclusion: Clinically, TF performance was superior, followed by PF then RC. RC fracture rate was the greatest after preparing the least number of canals. PMID:25031595

Quality assurance aspects of GSR analysis by SEM/EDX: a report of first-hand experiences

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Charles, Sebastien; Dehan, Didier; Geusens, Nadia; Nys, Bart

2009-05-01

Like many forensic science labs, the Belgian National Institute of Forensic Science (NICC) is involved in a Quality Assurance program aiming towards an ISO17025 Accreditation. Since last year, a project is underway in the GSR lab to validate the method used in the analysis of GSR samples acquired from the hands of suspects by SEM/EDX. The project is well underway, and is planned to lead to accreditation for this technique by the start of 2010. The presentation will discuss several aspects of the functioning of the lab that have to be addressed when preparing for this accreditation. Some of these issues and problems are so involved that separate sub-projects were defined in order to provide a manageable solution. The following topics will be treated in detail: definition of the scope of the accreditation, the validation of the SEM/EDX method with respect to : accuracy, precision, reproducibility and robustness, and the documentation of the Chain of Custody (CoC) of the samples and their storage. One specific sub-project that will be discussed is the study of contamination monitoring in different relevant locations of the lab. Finally, as we have recently acquired a new microscope, the technical criteria we used in the acquisition study will be presented with a focus on their relevance in a QA context. We feel this discussion is informative, both for labs that are pursuing a formal accreditation in the future, and those that work already in such a context and are in the process of acquiring new equipment.

Grafting of poly (lactic acid) with maleic anhydride using supercritical carbon dioxide

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Khankrua, R.; Pivsa-Art, S.; Hiroyuki, H.; Suttiruengwong, S.

2015-07-01

The aim of this work was to modify poly lactic acid (PLA) via free radical grafting with maleic anhydride (MA) by using supercritical carbon dioxide (SCCO2). Benzoyl peroxide (BPO) was used as an initiator. The solubility of MA in SCCO2 was first determined to estimate the suitable grafting conditions and equilibrium. From the solubility study of MA in SCCO2, it was found that the solubility of MA in SCCO2 increased with the increasing pressure and dissolution time. PLA films were first prepared by compression molding. The ratio of MA to BPO was 2:1. The reaction temperature and pressure were 70°C and 100 bar respectively. The grafting reaction and the degree of grafting were characterized by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy and titration, respectively. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) technique and contact angle were used to confirm the changes in physical properties of PLA film grafted MA. NMR spectrum indicated that the grafting of MA onto PLA was successively achieved. Degree of grafting by using SCCO2 was as high as 0.98%. This provided rather high grafting degree compared with other processes. SEM pictures showed the rough surface structure on modified PLA film. In addition, contact angle results showed an improvement of the hydrophilicity by maleic anhydride grafting onto polymers.

Effect of cadmium incorporation on the properties of zinc oxide thin films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bharath, S. P.; Bangera, Kasturi V.; Shivakumar, G. K.

2018-02-01

Cd x Zn1- x O (0 ≤ x ≤ 0.20) thin films are deposited on soda lime glass substrates using spray pyrolysis technique. To check the thermal stability, Cd x Zn1- x O thin films are subjected to annealing. Both the as-deposited and annealed Cd x Zn1- x O thin films are characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM) and energy-dispersive X-ray analysis (EDAX) to check the structural, surface morphological and compositional properties, respectively. XRD analysis reveals that the both as-deposited and annealed Cd x Zn1- x O thin films are (002) oriented with wurtzite structure. SEM studies confirm that as-deposited, as well as annealed Cd x Zn1- x O thin films are free from pinholes and cracks. Compositional analysis shows the deficiency in Cd content after annealing. Optical properties evaluated from UV-Vis spectroscopy shows red shift in the band gap for Cd x Zn1- x O thin films. Electrical property measured using two probe method shows a decrease in the resistance after Cd incorporation. The results indicate that cadmium can be successfully incorporated in zinc oxide thin films to achieve structural changes in the properties of films.

Development of biodegradable polymer based tamoxifen citrate loaded nanoparticles and effect of some manufacturing process parameters on them: a physicochemical and in-vitro evaluation.

PubMed

Sahana, Basudev; Santra, Kousik; Basu, Sumit; Mukherjee, Biswajit

2010-09-07

The aim of the present study was to develop nanoparticles of tamoxifen citrate, a non-steroidal antiestrogenic drug used for the treatment of breast cancer. Biodegradable poly (D, L- lactide-co-glycolide)-85:15 (PLGA) was used to develop nanoparticles of tamoxifen citrate by multiple emulsification (w/o/w) and solvent evaporation technique. Drug-polymer ratio, polyvinyl alcohol concentrations, and homogenizing speeds were varied at different stages of preparation to optimize the desired size and release profile of drug. The characterization of particle morphology and shape was performed by field emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM) and particle size distribution patterns were studied by direct light scattering method using zeta sizer. In vitro drug release study showed that release profile of tamoxifen from biodegradable nanoparticles varied due to the change in speed of centrifugation for separation. Drug loading efficiency varied from 18.60% to 71.98%. The FE-SEM study showed that biodegradable nanoparticles were smooth and spherical in shape. The stability studies of tamoxifen citrate in the experimental nanoparticles showed the structural integrity of tamoxifen citrate in PLGA nanoparticles up to 60°C in the tested temperatures. Nanoparticles containing tamoxifen citrate could be useful for the controlled delivery of the drug for a prolonged period.

Structural, morphological and gas sensing study of zinc doped tin oxide nanoparticles synthesized via hydrothermal technique

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Singh, Davender; Kundu, Virender Singh; Maan, A. S.

2016-07-01

The pure and Zn-doped SnO2 nanoparticles were prepared successfully by hydrothermal route on large scale having different doping concentration of zinc from 0 to 0.20%. The calcined nanoparticles were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscope (SEM) for structural and morphological studies. XRD analyses reveal that the nanoparticles of these doping concentrations are polycrystalline in nature and existed as tetragonal rutile structure, SEM study of images confirms the existence of very small, homogeneously distributed, and spherical nanoparticles. The particles size of the nanoparticles was calculated by Scherrer formula and was found in the range of 9-21 nm. The presence of dopant (i.e. zinc) and formation of Sn-O phase and hydrous nature of Zn-doped SnO2 nanoparticles are confirmed by EDX and FTIR study. The gas sensing properties of pure and Zn-doped SnO2 nanoparticles were investigated for various concentrations of methanol, ethanol and acetone at different operating temperatures and it has been found that with doping concentration of zinc (x = 0.20%) shows the maximum response 78% to methanol, 65% to ethanol and 62% to acetone respectively at different operating temperature within the measurement limit for a concentration of 100 ppm of each gases.

Thickness determination of large-area films of yttria-stabilized zirconia produced by pulsed laser deposition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pryds, N.; Toftmann, B.; Bilde-Sørensen, J. B.; Schou, J.; Linderoth, S.

2006-04-01

Films of yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) on a polished silicon substrate of diameter up to 125 mm have been produced in a large-area pulsed laser deposition (PLD) setup under typical PLD conditions. The film thickness over the full film area has been determined by energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometry in a scanning electron microscope (SEM) with use of a method similar to one described by Bishop and Poole. The attenuation of the electron-induced X-rays from the Si wafer by the film was monitored at a number of points along a diameter and the thickness was determined by Monte Carlo simulations of the attenuation for various values of film thickness with the program CASINO. These results have been compared with direct measurements in the SEM of the film thickness on a cross-section on one of the wafers. The results of these measurements demonstrate the ability of this technique to accurately determine the thickness of a large film, i.e. up to diameters of 125 mm, in a relatively short time, without destroying the substrate, without the need of a standard sample and without the need of a flat substrate. We have also demonstrated that by controlling the deposition parameters large-area YSZ films with uniform thickness can be produced.

Fungal-Induced Deterioration of Mural Paintings: In Situ and Mock-Model Microscopy Analyses.

PubMed

Unković, Nikola; Grbić, Milica Ljaljević; Stupar, Miloš; Savković, Željko; Jelikić, Aleksa; Stanojević, Dragan; Vukojević, Jelena

2016-04-01

Fungal deterioration of frescoes was studied in situ on a selected Serbian church, and on a laboratory model, utilizing standard and newly implemented microscopy techniques. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) with energy-dispersive X-ray confirmed the limestone components of the plaster. Pigments used were identified as carbon black, green earth, iron oxide, ocher, and an ocher/cinnabar mixture. In situ microscopy, applied via a portable microscope ShuttlePix P-400R, proved very useful for detection of invisible micro-impairments and hidden, symptomless, microbial growth. SEM and optical microscopy established that observed deterioration symptoms, predominantly discoloration and pulverization of painted layers, were due to bacterial filaments and fungal hyphal penetration, and formation of a wide range of fungal structures (i.e., melanized hyphae, chlamydospores, microcolonial clusters, Cladosporium-like conidia, and Chaetomium perithecia and ascospores). The all year-round monitoring of spontaneous and induced fungal colonization of a "mock painting" in controlled laboratory conditions confirmed the decisive role of humidity level (70.18±6.91% RH) in efficient colonization of painted surfaces, as well as demonstrated increased bioreceptivity of painted surfaces to fungal colonization when plant-based adhesives (ilinocopie, murdent), compared with organic adhesives of animal origin (bone glue, egg white), are used for pigment sizing.

Monitoring of biofilm aging in a Sphingomonas sp. strain from public drinking water sites through changes in capacitance.

PubMed

Gulati, Parul; Singh, Pawandeep; Chatterjee, Arun Kumar; Ghosh, Moushumi

2017-09-01

This study reports the applicability of a capacitance-based technique for evaluating the biofilm progression of Sphingomonas sp. One hundred and forty isolates of Sphingomonas were screened from public drinking water sites, and one potential strain with biofilm-forming ability was used for the study. The biofilm production by this strain was established in microtiter plates and aluminum coupons. The standard biofilm-forming strain Sphingomonas terrae MTCC 7766 was used for comparison. Changes in biofilm were analyzed by energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) and scanning electron microscope (SEM). Capacitance values were measured at 1, 100 and 200 kHz frequency; however, 1 kHz was selected since resulted in reproducible values, which could be correlated to biofilm age measured as dry weight over a time of 96 h (4 days) depicting the biofilm growth/progression over time. The EDX, SEM and capacitance values obtained in parallel indicated the related physiological profile usually displayed by biofilms upon growth, suggesting authenticity to the observed capacitance profile. The results of this study demonstrated the feasibility of a capacitance-based method for analyzing biofilm development/progression by Sphingomonas sp. and suggested a simple approach for developing an online system to detect biofilms by this opportunistic pathogen of concern in drinking water.

Focused Ion Beam (FIB) combined with SEM (FIB/SEM) and TEM: Advanced tools for nano-analysis in Geosciences

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wirth, R.; Morales, L. G.

2011-12-01

Focused ion beam (FIB) techniques have been successfully applied to the preparation of site-specific electron transparent membranes for transmission electron microscopy (TEM) investigations in Geosciences since several years. For example, systematic TEM studies of nano-inclusions in diamond foils prepared with FIB have improved our knowledge on diamond formation. However, FIB is not exclusively used for sample preparation for TEM application because it has been proved that one and the same TEM foil can also be used for Synchrotron IR, Synchrotron X-Ray fluorescence (XRF), scanning transmission X-Ray microscopy (STXM) and NanoSIMS analysis. In addition, FIB milling turned out to be very useful for sample preparation of Brillouin scattering experiments and has a strong potential for preparation of highly-polished, micrometer-scale samples. However, a real break through in FIB application was achieved combining a Ga-ion source of the FIB with an electron source of a scanning electron microscope (SEM) in one single instrument. The combination of FIB/SEM renders access to the third dimension of the sample possible. A cavity normal to the sample surface is sputtered with Ga-ions and this newly created inner surface is imaged with the electron beam. Alternating slicing and viewing along these cavities allow the acquisition of a sequence of images that allows the observation in 3 dimensions. Recently, this technique has been successfully applied to image the structure of grain or phase boundaries in metamorphic rocks as well as micro- and nanoporosity in shales, but its applicability goes far beyond these few examples. Combining slicing and viewing with X-Ray and electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) analysis can provide 3D elemental mapping and 3D crystallographic orientation mapping of crystalline materials. Combined FIB/SEM devices also facilitate the preparation of substantially thinner and cleaner TEM foils (approximately 30 nm) because electron beam imaging controls the progress of the sputtering process without sputtering the sample during imaging. Electron induce sputtering is substantially smaller than ion induced sputtering. Finally, the amorphous layers created by Ga-ion sputtering and Ga-ion implantation can be removed from the foil surfaces by subsequent argon ion bombardment under a low angle of incidence and low acceleration voltage thus permitting TEM high-resolution imaging and electron energy-loss spectroscopy (EELS). Additionally, ultra-thin foils have the advantage that they are electron transparent even at 30 keV, the common operational voltage of a SEM. Therefore the electron column of the FIB/SEM system can be used as a TEM at low voltage and images can be made either in bright-field, dark field and through a high-angle annular dark field (HAADF) detector. The HAADF detector provides information about the chemical composition of the specimen with high spatial resolution because it is Z-contrast sensitive.

Clinical pharmacokinetic study for the effect of glimepiride matrix tablets developed by quality by design concept.

PubMed

Ahmed, Tarek A; Suhail, Mohammad A A; Hosny, Khaled M; Abd-Allah, Fathy I

2018-01-01

Implementation of a new pharmaceutical technique to improve aqueous solubility and thus dissolution, enhancement of drug permeation, and finally formulation of a controlled release tablet loaded with glimepiride (GLMP). Improve GLMP bioavailability and pharmacokinetics in type II diabetic patients. Different polymers were used to enhance aqueous GLMP solubility of which a saturated polymeric drug solution was prepared and physically adsorbed onto silica. An experimental design was employed to optimize the formulation parameters affecting the preparation of GLMP matrix tablets. A compatibility study was conducted to study components interactions. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) was performed before and after the tablets were placed in the dissolution medium. An in vivo study in human volunteers was performed with the optimized GLMP tablets, which were compared to pure and marketed drug products. Enhancement of GLMP aqueous solubility, using the polymeric drug solution technique, by more than 6-7 times when compared with the binary system. All the studied formulation factors significantly affected the studied variables. No significant interaction was detected among components. SEM illustrated the surface and inner tablet structure, and confirmed the drug release which was attributed to diffusion mechanism. The volunteer group administered the optimized GLMP tablet exhibited higher drug plasma concentration (147.4 ng/mL), longer time to reach maximum plasma concentration (4 h) and longer t 1/2 (7.236 h) compared to other groups. Matrix tablet loaded with a physically modified drug form could represent a key solution for drugs with inconsistent dissolution and absorption profiles.

Study of corrosion in archaeological gilded irons by Raman imaging and a coupled scanning electron microscope–Raman system

PubMed Central

Veneranda, Marco; Costantini, Ilaria; de Vallejuelo, Silvia Fdez-Ortiz; Garcia, Laura; García, Iñaki; Azkarate, Agustín; Madariaga, Juan Manuel

2016-01-01

In this work, analytical and chemical imaging tools have been applied to the study of a gilded spur found in the medieval necropolis of Erenozar (Bizkaia, Spain). As a first step, a lot of portable equipment has been used to study the object in a non-invasive way. The hand-held energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence equipment allowed us to characterize the artefact as a rare example of an iron matrix item decorated by means of a fire gilding technique. On the other hand, the use of a portable Raman system helped us to detect the main degradation compounds affecting the spur. Afterwards, further information was acquired in the laboratory by analysing detached fragments. The molecular images obtained using confocal Raman microscopy permitted us to characterize the stratigraphic succession of iron corrosions. Furthermore, the combined use of this technique with a scanning electron microscope (SEM) was achieved owing to the use of a structural and chemical analyser interface. In this way, the molecular characterization, enhanced by the magnification feature of the SEM, allowed us to identify several micrometric degradation compounds. Finally, the effectiveness of one of the most used desalination baths (NaOH) was evaluated by comparing its effects with those provided by a reference bath (MilliQ). The comparison proved that basic treatment avoided any side effects on the spur decorated by fire gilding, compensating for the lack of bibliographic documentation in this field. This article is part of the themed issue ‘Raman spectroscopy in art and archaeology’. PMID:27799430

A proposal of microtomography evaluation for restoration interface gaps.

PubMed

Meleo, Deborah; Manzon, Licia; Pecci, Raffaella; Zuppante, Francesca; Bedini, Rossella

2012-01-01

Nowadays, several adhesive systems are used in dental restoration and they are evaluated by clinical research. In vitro evaluations are often made by means of traditional observation techniques (for example scanning electron microscope (SEM), while 3D cone-beam microtomography technique (3D micro-CT), that can be able to generate 3D sample images without any sample treatment during acquisition data, is going to be used a lot in the next few years. In dental cavity restored with composite, it is possible to predict the presence of gaps due to polymerization shrinkage; that is the reason this work purpose is to reveal by 3D images and measure by micro-CT analysis the voids generated applying the most used adhesive systems at the moment. By means of microtomographic analysis is proposed an aid to overcome bidimensional SEM investigation limits like random observation of sample surface, sample sectioning (to see inside it with the relative possible structural alterations induced on the same sample) and the gold sputtering treatment. For this experimental work, human crown teeth have been selected, all restored with the same composite material, using five adhesive systems. After about 48 hours each tooth has been acquired by means of Skyscan 1072 micro-CT instrument and then processed by 3D reconstruction and micro-CT analyser software. Three adhesive systems have showed 3D micro-CT images with not as much voids as expected, with a very little extent. This kind of micro-CT in vitro evaluation proposal suggests a method to observe and quantify the voids generated after polymerization shrinkage during tooth restoration.

Multi-scale characterization by FIB-SEM/TEM/3DAP.

PubMed

Ohkubo, T; Sepehri-Amin, H; Sasaki, T T; Hono, K

2014-11-01

In order to improve properties of functional materials, it is important to understand the relation between the structure and the properties since the structure has large effect to the properties. This can be done by using multi-scale microstructure analysis from macro-scale to nano and atomic scale. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) equipped with focused ion beam (FIB), transmission electron microscope (TEM) and 3D atom probe (3DAP) are complementary analysis tools making it possible to know the structure and the chemistry from micron to atomic resolution. SEM gives us overall microstructural and chemical information by various kinds of detectors such as secondary electron, backscattered electron, EDS and EBSD detectors. Also, it is possible to analyze 3D structure and chemistry via FIB serial sectioning. In addition, using TEM we can focus on desired region to get more complementary information from HRTEM/STEM/Lorentz images, SAED/NBD patterns and EDS/EELS to see the detail micro or nano-structure and chemistry. Especially, combination of probe Cs corrector and split EDS detectors with large detector size enable us to analyze the atomic scale elemental distribution. Furthermore, if the specimen has a complicated 3D nanostructure, or we need to analyze light elements such as hydrogen, lithium or boron, 3DAP can be used as the only technique which can visualize and analyze distribution of all constituent atoms of our materials within a few hundreds nm area. Hence, site-specific sample preparation using FIB/SEM is necessary to get desired information from region of interest. Therefore, this complementary analysis combination works very well to understand the detail of materials.In this presentation, we will show the analysis results obtained from some of functional materials by Carl Zeiss CrossBeam 1540EsB FIB/SEM, FEI Tecnai G(2) F30, Titan G2 80-200 TEMs and locally build laser assisted 3DAP. As the one of the example, result of multi-scale characterization for ultra-fine grain Nd-Fe-B permanent magnet will be shown [1]. In order to improve the magnetic properties, especially to increase the coercivity (resistance against magnetization reversal) of the magnet, decreasing the grain size and isolating each grain by non-ferromagnetic grain boundary phase are quite important since the nucleation of magnetic reversal from grain boundary phase can be suppressed and pinning force of magnetic domain wall at the grain boundary phase can be strengthened. Therefore, micro and nano structure and chemistry analysis can shed a light do grain boundary engineering.Figure 1(a,b) shows SEM BSE images of ultrafine grain Nd-Fe-B sintered magnet and the reconstructed 3D tomography of Nd-rich phases obtained by FIB/SEM serial sectioning. This data can provide us information about the distribution of Nd-rich phase and its volume fraction. Moreover, the HRTEM image from the grain boundary phase, the 3DAP maps and the concentration depth profiles are shown in Fig. 1(c,d,e). This magnet shows high coercivity (1517kA/m), and by comparing these results with the microstructures of low coercivity specimen, importance of grain boundary formation was confirmed and it gives us hint to improve the coercivity further. We will show the detail and results from other materials.jmicro;63/suppl_1/i6/DFU046F1F1DFU046F1Fig. 1.(a) SEM BSE images of ultrafine grain Nd-Fe-B sintered magnet. (b) 3D FIB/SEM tomography of Nd-rich phases. (c) HRTEM image from the grain boundary phase. (d) 3DAP maps of Nd, Cu and Al. (e) Concentration depth profiles for Fe, Nd+Pr, B, Co, Cu and Al, determined from the selected box in (d)[1]. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Japanese Society of Microscopy. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Buck, E.C.; Cunnane, J.C.; Brown, N.R.

A combination of optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy with backscattered electron detection (SEM/BSE), and analytical electron microscopy (AEM) is being used to determine the nature of uranium in soils from the Fernald Environmental Management Project. The information gained from these studies is being used to develop and test remediation technologies. Investigations using SEM have shown that uranium is contained within particles that are typically 1 to 100 {mu}m in diameter. Further analysis with AEM has shown that these uranium-rich regions are made up of discrete uranium-bearing phases. The distribution of these uranium phases was found to be inhomogeneous at themore » microscopic level.« less

Effect of the Femtosecond Laser on an Intracorneal Inlay for Surgical Compensation of Presbyopia during Cataract Surgery: Scanning Electron Microscope Imaging.

PubMed

Ibarz, Marta; Rodríguez-Prats, Jose Luis; Hernández-Verdejo, Jose Luis; Tañá, Pedro

2017-02-01

To investigate the effect of the femtosecond laser-assisted cataract surgery (FLACS) on porcine eyes implanted with a Kamra corneal inlay and to describe how the inlay may change the effect of the femtosecond laser on the lens. FLACS was performed on six porcine eyes and a Kamra corneal inlay had been implanted, exploring the lens under the surgical microscope. Another Kamra corneal inlay was attached to the upper part of the transparent hemisphere used for calibration of the femtosecond laser. Capsulorhexis, arcuate incisions, and phacofragmentation were carried out. The Kamra corneal inlay was compared with a nontreated one using a scanning electron microscope (SEM), and the hemisphere was analyzed with a surgical microscope. Capsulorhexis and phacofragmentation were completed in all the porcine eyes, although accuracy to determine the exact effect on the lens was not possible to achieve. The effect of the femtosecond laser on the PMMA hemisphere through the Kamra corneal inlay showed the capsulorhexis was placed outside the outer margin of the inlay and a sharply sculpted fragmentation pattern with a three-dimensional (donut-shaped) annulus untreated beneath it. SEM images of the nontreated and the treated inlays were comparable. No ultrastructural changes were found in the treated Kamra corneal inlay. FLACS can be performed with a Kamra corneal inlay for surgical compensation of presbyopia without the risk of damaging the inlay. The Kamra corneal inlay acts as a screen that avoids the laser to reach the areas beneath its shadow, but not the exposed areas of the lens.

Microscopic analysis of "iron spot" on blue-and-white porcelain from Jingdezhen imperial kiln in early Ming dynasty (14th-15th century).

PubMed

Wang, Wenxuan; Zhu, Jian; Jiang, Jianxin; Xu, Changqing; Wu, Shurong; Guan, Li; Zhang, Zhaoxia; Wu, Menglei; Du, Jingnan

2016-11-01

"Sumali," as an imported cobalt ore from overseas, was a sort of precious and valuable pigment used for imperial kilns only, which produces characteristic "iron spot" to blue-and-white porcelain in early Ming Dynasty (A.D. 14th-15th century). Although there were some old studies on it, the morphology and formation of iron spot has not been fully investigated and understood. Therefore, five selected samples with typical spot from Jingdezhen imperial kiln in Ming Yongle periods (A.D. 1403-1424) were analyzed by various microscopic analysis including 3D digital microscope, SEM-EDS and EPMA. According to SEM images, samples can be divided into three groups: un-reflected "iron spot" without crystals, un-reflected "iron spot" with crystals and reflected "iron spot" with crystals. Furthermore, 3D micro-images revealed that "iron spots" separate out dendritic or snow-shaped crystals of iron only on and parallel to the surface of glaze for which "iron spot" show strong metallic luster. Combining with microscopic observation and microanalysis on crystallization and non-crystallization areas, it indicates that firing oxygen concentration is the ultimate causation of forming reflective iron spot which has a shallower distribution below the surface and limits crystals growing down. More details about characters of "iron spot" used "Sumali" were found and provided new clues to coloration, formation mechanism and porcelain producing technology of imperial kiln from 14th to 15th centuries of China. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Structure and growth of the mesoscopic surfactant/silica thin films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhou, Linbo

1999-10-01

We report the study of the structure and the growth of the mesoscopic surfactant/silica thin films. We use X-ray diffraction coupled with Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), Atomic Force Microscope (AFM), Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM) and light scattering techniques to study the structure, lattice strain and the drying effect of the thin films as well as the growth kinetics and mechanism. The surfactant/silica materials are synthesized using the supramolecular assemblies of the surfactant molecules to template the condensation of the inorganic species. The subsequent calcination yields the mesoporous silica materials, which have many application properties such as unusual electronic, optical, magnetic and elastic characteristics. The films are grown on mica, graphite and silicon substrates in an acidic CTAC (Cetyltrimethyl Ammonium Chloride)/TEOS (Tetraethyl Orthosilicate) solution and are found to consist of the hexagonally packed tubules. The substrate plays an important role in the epitaxial arrangement of the film. We use the light scattering and cryo TEM to study the micelle morphology and aggregation in the solution and use synchrotron radiation X-ray diffraction to study the growth of the film at the solid/liquid interfaces in-situ. An induction time is found followed by the growth of the film at a nonlinear growth rate. The induction time depends on the ratio of the concentrations of CTAC to TEOS in the high CTAC concentration regime. The growth kinetics and mechanism are elucidated in a context of a growth model. For the technological application, Micromolding in Capillaries (MIMIC) technique and the field guided growth are used to process the patterned mesoscopic surfactant/silica thin films and align the nanotubules into the desired orientation. X-ray diffraction characterization has been performed to study the structure and orientation of the thin films. The combined influence of the electric field and the confinement of the mold allows the synthesis of the surfactant/silica thin films with the controlled orientation.

Visualization and characterization of engineered nanoparticles in complex environmental and food matrices using atmospheric scanning electron microscopy.

PubMed

Luo, P; Morrison, I; Dudkiewicz, A; Tiede, K; Boyes, E; O'Toole, P; Park, S; Boxall, A B

2013-04-01

Imaging and characterization of engineered nanoparticles (ENPs) in water, soils, sediment and food matrices is very important for research into the risks of ENPs to consumers and the environment. However, these analyses pose a significant challenge as most existing techniques require some form of sample manipulation prior to imaging and characterization, which can result in changes in the ENPs in a sample and in the introduction of analytical artefacts. This study therefore explored the application of a newly designed instrument, the atmospheric scanning electron microscope (ASEM), which allows the direct characterization of ENPs in liquid matrices and which therefore overcomes some of the limitations associated with existing imaging methods. ASEM was used to characterize the size distribution of a range of ENPs in a selection of environmental and food matrices, including supernatant of natural sediment, test medium used in ecotoxicology studies, bovine serum albumin and tomato soup under atmospheric conditions. The obtained imaging results were compared to results obtained using conventional imaging by transmission electron microscope (TEM) and SEM as well as to size distribution data derived from nanoparticle tracking analysis (NTA). ASEM analysis was found to be a complementary technique to existing methods that is able to visualize ENPs in complex liquid matrices and to provide ENP size information without extensive sample preparation. ASEM images can detect ENPs in liquids down to 30 nm and to a level of 1 mg L(-1) (9×10(8) particles mL(-1) , 50 nm Au ENPs). The results indicate ASEM is a highly complementary method to existing approaches for analyzing ENPs in complex media and that its use will allow those studying to study ENP behavior in situ, something that is currently extremely challenging to do. © 2013 The Authors Journal of Microscopy © 2013 Royal Microscopical Society.

Diatomite based ceramics macro- and microscopic characterization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aderdour, H.; Bentayeb, A.; Nadiri, A.; Ouammou, A.; Sangleboeuf, J.-C.; Lucas-Girot, A.; Carel, C.

2005-03-01

A Moroccan diatomite is characterized chemically and physically. Mechanical properties of ceramics prepared by sintering at different temperatures ranging from 1050 to 1350° C are studied. Compressive strength and Young modulus are determined by compression tests. Densification and evolution of the microstructure are followed by SEM and other tests.

Investigation on corrosion behavior of Ni-based alloys in molten fluoride salt using synchrotron radiation techniques

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Min; Zheng, Junyi; Lu, Yanling; Li, Zhijun; Zou, Yang; Yu, Xiaohan; Zhou, Xingtai

2013-09-01

Ni-based alloys have been selected as the structural materials in molten-salt reactors due to their high corrosion resistance and excellent mechanical properties. In this paper, the corrosion behavior of some Ni-based superalloys including Inconel 600, Hastelloy X and Hastelloy C-276 were investigated in molten fluoride salts at 750 °C. Morphology and microstructure of corroded samples were analyzed using scanning electron microscope (SEM), synchrotron radiation X-ray microbeam fluorescence (μ-XRF) and synchrotron radiation X-ray diffraction (SR-XRD) techniques. Results from μ-XRF and SR-XRD show that the main depleted alloying element of Ni-based alloys in molten fluoride salt is Cr. In addition, the results indicate that Mo can enhance the corrosion resistance in molten FLiNaK salts. Among the above three Ni-based alloys, Hastelloy C-276 exhibits the best corrosion resistance in molten fluoride salts 750 °C. Higher-content Mo and lower-content Cr in Hastelloy C-276 alloy were responsible for the better anti-corrosive performance, compared to the other two alloys.

Orion Exploration Flight Test Post-Flight Inspection and Analysis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Miller, J. E.; Berger, E. L.; Bohl, W. E.; Christiansen, E. L.; Davis, B. A.; Deighton, K. D.; Enriquez, P. A.; Garcia, M. A.; Hyde, J. L.; Oliveras, O. M.

2017-01-01

The principal mechanism for developing orbital debris environment models, is to make observations of larger pieces of debris in the range of several centimeters and greater using radar and optical techniques. For particles that are smaller than this threshold, breakup and migration models of particles to returned surfaces in lower orbit are relied upon to quantify the flux. This reliance on models to derive spatial densities of particles that are of critical importance to spacecraft make the unique nature of the EFT-1's return surface a valuable metric. To this end detailed post-flight inspections have been performed of the returned EFT-1 backshell, and the inspections identified six candidate impact sites that were not present during the pre-flight inspections. This paper describes the post-flight analysis efforts to characterize the EFT-1 mission craters. This effort included ground based testing to understand small particle impact craters in the thermal protection material, the pre- and post-flight inspection, the crater analysis using optical, X-ray computed tomography (CT) and scanning electron microscope (SEM) techniques, and numerical simulations.

One-Pot Route towards Active TiO2 Doped Hierarchically Porous Cellulose: Highly Efficient Photocatalysts for Methylene Blue Degradation

PubMed Central

Sun, Xiaoxia; Wang, Kunpeng; Shu, Yu; Zou, Fangdong; Zhang, Boxing; Sun, Guangwu; Uyama, Hiroshi; Wang, Xinhou

2017-01-01

In this study, novel photocatalyst monolith materials were successfully fabricated by a non-solvent induced phase separation (NIPS) technique. By adding a certain amount of ethyl acetate (as non-solvent) into a cellulose/LiCl/N,N-dimethylacetamide (DMAc) solution, and successively adding titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles (NPs), cellulose/TiO2 composite monoliths with hierarchically porous structures were easily formed. The obtained composite monoliths possessed mesopores, and two kinds of macropores. Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR), X-ray Diffraction (XRD), Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET), and Ultraviolet-visible Spectroscopy (UV-Vis) measurements were adopted to characterize the cellulose/TiO2 composite monolith. The cellulose/TiO2 composite monoliths showed high efficiency of photocatalytic activity in the decomposition of methylene blue dye, which was decomposed up to 99% within 60 min under UV light. Moreover, the composite monoliths could retain 90% of the photodegradation efficiency after 10 cycles. The novel NIPS technique has great potential for fabricating recyclable photocatalysts with highly efficiency. PMID:28772734

Preparation and characterization of ibuprofen-cetyl alcohol beads by melt solidification technique: effect of variables.

PubMed

Maheshwari, Manish; Ketkar, Anant R; Chauhan, Bhaskar; Patil, Vinay B; Paradkar, Anant R

2003-08-11

Ibuprofen (IBU) exhibits short half-life, poor compressibility, flowability and caking tendency. IBU melt has sufficiently low viscosity and exhibits interfacial tension sufficient to form droplet even at low temperature. A single step novel melt solidification technique (MST) was developed to produce IBU beads with lower amounts of excipient. Effect of variables was studied using a 3(2) factorial approach with speed of agitation and amount of cetyl alcohol (CA) as variables. The beads were evaluated using DSC, FT-IR and scanning electron microscope (SEM). Yield, micromeritic properties, crushing strength and release kinetics were also studied. Spherical beads with a method yield of above 90% were obtained. The data was analyzed by response surface methodology. The variables showed curvilinear relationship with yield in desired particle size range, crushing strength and, bulk and tap density. The drug release followed non-Fickian case II transport and the release rate decreased linearly with respect to amount of CA in the initial stages followed by curvilinearity at later stages of elution. The effect of changing porosity and tortuosity was well correlated.

Preparation & characterization of SiO2 interface layer by dip coating technique on carbon fibre for Cf/SiC composites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kumar, Kundan; Jariwala, C.; Pillai, R.; Chauhan, N.; Raole, P. M.

2015-08-01

Carbon fibres (Cf) are one of the most important reinforced materials for ceramic matrix composites such as Cf - SiC composites and they are generally sought for high temperature applications in as space application, nuclear reactor and automobile industries. But the major problem arise when Cf reinforced composites exposed to high temperature in an oxidizing environment, Cf react with oxygen and burnt away. In present work, we have studied the effect of silica (SiO2) coating as a protective coating on Cf for the Cf / SiC composites. The silica solution prepared by the sol-gel process and coating on Cf is done by dip coating technique with varying the withdrawing speed i.e. 2, 5, 8 mm/s with fixed dipping cycle (3 Nos.). The uniform silica coating on the Cf is shown by the Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) analysis. The tensile test shows the increase in tensile strength with respect to increase in withdrawing speed. The isothermal oxidation analysis confirmed enhancement of oxidation resistance of silica coated Cf as compared tothe uncoated Cf.

Visible light-harvesting of TiO2 nanotubes array by pulsed laser deposited CdS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bjelajac, Andjelika; Djokic, Veljko; Petrovic, Rada; Socol, Gabiel; Mihailescu, Ion N.; Florea, Ileana; Ersen, Ovidiu; Janackovic, Djordje

2014-08-01

Titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanotubes arrays, obtained by anodization technique and annealing, were decorated with CdS using pulsed laser deposition method. Their structural, morphological and chemical characterization was carried out by electron microscopy in scanning (SEM) and transmission (TEM) modes, combined with energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) and electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS). It was demonstrated that the quantity of deposited CdS can be controlled by varying the number of laser pulses. The chemical mapping of the elements of interest was performed using the energy filtered mode of the electron microscope. The results showed that pulse laser deposition is an adequate technique for deposition of CdS inside and between 100 nm wide TiO2 nanotubes. The diffuse reflectance spectroscopy investigation of selected samples proved that the absorption edge of the prepared CdS/TiO2 nanocomposites is significantly extended to the visible range. The corresponding band gaps were determinated from the Tauc plot of transformed Kubelka-Munk function. The band gap reduction of TiO2 nanotubes by pulsed laser deposition of CdS was put in evidence.

[Development of a new technique to detect the laterality of microscopic hematuria by means of gas cystoscopy].

PubMed

Kamoi, K; Teraski, T; Kojima, M; Uchida, M; Watanabe, H

1996-04-01

We developed a new technique to determine the laterality of microscopic hematuria by means of gas cystoscopy. An originally designed catheter system consisted of two catheters. On the tip of an inner catheter, a urine dipstick for blood was attached, with a cap on the tip of an outer catheter to keep the dipstick dry. In order to react a dipstick with the urine coming out from a ureteral orifice in the bladder, CO2 was insufflated into the bladder through a cystoscope (gas cystoscopy). The laterality of microscopic hematuria was determined in the bladder, based on the color reaction on the dipstick. This technique was performed successfully in 14 (88%) of 16 cases with microscopic hematuria. The laterality of microscopic hematuria was determined to be ipsilateral in 6 patients, which coincided with the side of a urological upper urinary tract disorder. In contract, bilateral microscopic hematuria was confirmed in 8 patients with glomerular disorders. The diagnostic process in patients with microscopic hematuria remains unsolved for urologists and nephrologists. This technique may provide a new approach in diagnosing microscopic hematuria.

Optimisation d'analyses de grenat almandin realisees au microscope electronique a balayage

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Larose, Miguel

The electron microprobe (EMP) is considered as the golden standard for the collection of precise and representative chemical composition of minerals in rocks, but data of similar quality should be obtainable with a scanning electron microscope (SEM). This thesis presents an analytical protocol aimed at optimizing operational parameters of an SEM paired with an EDS Si(Li) X-ray detector (JEOL JSM-840A) for the imaging, quantitative chemical analysis and compositional X-ray maps of almandine garnet found in pelitic schists from the Canadian Cordillera. Results are then compared to those obtained for the same samples on a JEOL JXA 8900 EMP. For imaging purposes, the secondary electrons and backscattered electrons signals have been used to obtain topographic and chemical contrast of the samples, respectively. The SEM allows the acquisition of images with higher resolution than the EMP when working at high magnifications. However, for millimetric size minerals requiring very low magnifications, the EMP can usually match the imaging capabilities of an SEM. When optimizing images for both signals, the optimal operational parameters to show similar contrasts are not restricted to a unique combination of values. Optimization of operational parameters for quantitative chemical analysis resulted in analytical data with a similar precision and showing good correlation to that obtained with an EMP. Optimization of operational parameters for compositional X-ray maps aimed at maximizing the collected intensity within a pixel as well as complying with the spatial resolution criterion in order to obtain a qualitative compositional map representative of the chemical variation within the grain. Even though various corrections were needed, such as the shadow effect and the background noise removal, as well as the impossibility to meet the spatial resolution criterion because of the limited pixel density available on the SEM, the compositional X-ray maps show a good correlation with those obtained with the EMP, even for concentrations as low as 0,5%. When paired with a rigorous analytical protocol, the use of an SEM equipped with an EDS Si (Li) X-ray detector allows the collection of qualitative and quantitative results similar to those obtained with an EMP for all three of the applications considered.

Sub-50 nm metrology on extreme ultra violet chemically amplified resist—A systematic assessment

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Maas, D. J., E-mail: diederik.maas@tno.nl; Herfst, R.; Veldhoven, E. van

2015-10-15

With lithographic patterning dimensions decreasing well below 50 nm, it is of high importance to understand metrology at such small scales. This paper presents results obtained from dense arrays of contact holes (CHs) with various Critical Dimension (CD) between 15 and 50 nm, as patterned in a chemically amplified resist using an ASML EUV scanner and measured at ASML and TNO. To determine the differences between various (local) CD metrology techniques, we conducted an experiment using optical scatterometry, CD-Scanning Electron Microscopy (CD-SEM), Helium ion Microscopy (HIM), and Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM). CD-SEM requires advanced beam scan strategies to mitigate samplemore » charging; the other tools did not need that. We discuss the observed main similarities and differences between the various techniques. To this end, we assessed the spatial frequency content in the raw images for SEM, HIM, and AFM. HIM and AFM resolve the highest spatial frequencies, which are attributed to the more localized probe-sample interaction for these techniques. Furthermore, the SEM, HIM, and AFM waveforms are analyzed in detail. All techniques show good mutual correlation, albeit the reported CD values systematically differ significantly. HIM systematically reports a 25% higher CD uniformity number than CD-SEM for the same arrays of CHs, probably because HIM has a higher resolution than the CD-SEM used in this assessment. A significant speed boost for HIM and AFM is required before these techniques are to serve the demanding industrial metrology applications like optical critical dimension and CD-SEM do nowadays.« less

Sub-50 nm metrology on extreme ultra violet chemically amplified resist—A systematic assessment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maas, D. J.; Fliervoet, T.; Herfst, R.; van Veldhoven, E.; Meessen, J.; Vaenkatesan, V.; Sadeghian, H.

2015-10-01

With lithographic patterning dimensions decreasing well below 50 nm, it is of high importance to understand metrology at such small scales. This paper presents results obtained from dense arrays of contact holes (CHs) with various Critical Dimension (CD) between 15 and 50 nm, as patterned in a chemically amplified resist using an ASML EUV scanner and measured at ASML and TNO. To determine the differences between various (local) CD metrology techniques, we conducted an experiment using optical scatterometry, CD-Scanning Electron Microscopy (CD-SEM), Helium ion Microscopy (HIM), and Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM). CD-SEM requires advanced beam scan strategies to mitigate sample charging; the other tools did not need that. We discuss the observed main similarities and differences between the various techniques. To this end, we assessed the spatial frequency content in the raw images for SEM, HIM, and AFM. HIM and AFM resolve the highest spatial frequencies, which are attributed to the more localized probe-sample interaction for these techniques. Furthermore, the SEM, HIM, and AFM waveforms are analyzed in detail. All techniques show good mutual correlation, albeit the reported CD values systematically differ significantly. HIM systematically reports a 25% higher CD uniformity number than CD-SEM for the same arrays of CHs, probably because HIM has a higher resolution than the CD-SEM used in this assessment. A significant speed boost for HIM and AFM is required before these techniques are to serve the demanding industrial metrology applications like optical critical dimension and CD-SEM do nowadays.

Adaptation and micro-structure of Co-Cr alloy maxillary complete denture base plates fabricated by selective laser melting technique.

PubMed

Ye, Ye; Jiao, Ting; Zhu, Jiarui; Sun, Jian

2018-01-24

The purpose of the study was to evaluate the adaptation and micro-structure of Co-Cr alloy maxillary complete denture base plates fabricated by the selective laser melting (SLM) technique. Twenty pairs of edentulous casts were randomly and evenly divided into two groups, and manufacturing of the Co-Cr alloy maxillary complete denture base was conducted either by the SLM technique or by the conventional method. The base-cast sets were transversally sectioned into three sections at the distal canines, mesial of the first molars and the posterior palatal zone. The gap between the metal base and cast was measured in these three sections with a stereoscopic microscope, and the data were analysed using t tests. A total of five specimens of 5 mm diameter were fabricated with the Co-Cr alloy by SLM and the traditional casting technology. A scanning electron microscope (SEM) was used to evaluate the differences in microstructure between these specimens. There was no statistical difference between the three sections in all four groups (P > 0.05). At the region of the canines, the clearance value for the SLM Co-Cr alloy group was larger than that of the conventional method group (P < 0.05). At the mesial of the first molar region and the posterior palatal zone, there was no statistical difference between the gaps observed in the two groups (P > 0.05). The SLM Co-Cr alloy has a denser microstructure behaviour and less casting defect than the cast Co-Cr alloy. The SLM technique showed initial feasibility for the manufacture of dental bases of complete dentures, but large sample studies are needed to prove its reliability in clinical applications. The mechanical properties and microstructure of the denture frameworks prepared by selective laser melting indicate that these dentures are appropriate for clinical use.

In Search of Search Engine Marketing Strategy Amongst SME's in Ireland

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barry, Chris; Charleton, Debbie

Researchers have identified the Web as a searchers first port of call for locating information. Search Engine Marketing (SEM) strategies have been noted as a key consideration when developing, maintaining and managing Websites. A study presented here of SEM practices of Irish small to medium enterprises (SMEs) reveals they plan to spend more resources on SEM in the future. Most firms utilize an informal SEM strategy, where Website optimization is perceived most effective in attracting traffic. Respondents cite the use of ‘keywords in title and description tags’ as the most used SEM technique, followed by the use of ‘keywords throughout the whole Website’; while ‘Pay for Placement’ was most widely used Paid Search technique. In concurrence with the literature, measuring SEM performance remains a significant challenge with many firms unsure if they measure it effectively. An encouraging finding is that Irish SMEs adopt a positive ethical posture when undertaking SEM.

Image contrast enhancement of Ni/YSZ anode during the slice-and-view process in FIB-SEM.

PubMed

Liu, Shu-Sheng; Takayama, Akiko; Matsumura, Syo; Koyama, Michihisa

2016-03-01

Focused ion beam-scanning electron microscopy (FIB-SEM) is a widely used and easily operational equipment for three-dimensional reconstruction with flexible analysis volume. It has been using successfully and increasingly in the field of solid oxide fuel cell. However, the phase contrast of the SEM images is indistinct in many cases, which will bring difficulties to the image processing. Herein, the phase contrast of a conventional Ni/yttria stabilized zirconia anode is tuned in an FIB-SEM with In-Lens secondary electron (SE) and backscattered electron detectors. Two accessories, tungsten probe and carbon nozzle, are inserted during the observation. The former has no influence on the contrast. When the carbon nozzle is inserted, best and distinct contrast can be obtained by In-Lens SE detector. This method is novel for contrast enhancement. Phase segmentation of the image can be automatically performed. The related mechanism for different images is discussed. © 2015 The Authors Journal of Microscopy © 2015 Royal Microscopical Society.

Any Way You Slice It—A Comparison of Confocal Microscopy Techniques

PubMed Central

Jonkman, James

2015-01-01

The confocal fluorescence microscope has become a popular tool for life sciences researchers, primarily because of its ability to remove blur from outside of the focal plane of the image. Several different kinds of confocal microscopes have been developed, each with advantages and disadvantages. This article will cover the grid confocal, classic confocal laser-scanning microscope (CLSM), the resonant scanning-CLSM, and the spinning-disk confocal microscope. The way each microscope technique works, the best applications the technique is suited for, the limitations of the technique, and new developments for each technology will be presented. Researchers who have access to a range of different confocal microscopes (e.g., through a local core facility) should find this paper helpful for choosing the best confocal technology for specific imaging applications. Others with funding to purchase an instrument should find the article helpful in deciding which technology is ideal for their area of research. PMID:25802490

Cobalt oxide acicular nanorods with high sensitivity for the non-enzymatic detection of glucose.

PubMed

Kung, Chung-Wei; Lin, Chia-Yu; Lai, Yi-Hsuan; Vittal, R; Ho, Kuo-Chuan

2011-09-15

Acicular cobalt oxide nanorods (CoONRs) were prepared for the non-enzymatic detection of glucose, first by directly growing layered cobalt carbonate hydroxide (LCCH) on a conducting fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) substrate using a simple chemical bath deposition (CBD) technique and then by transforming the LCCH into CoONRs through pyrolysis. The composition and grain size of the films of LCCH and CoONRs were verified by X-ray diffraction (XRD); their morphologies were examined by scanning electron microscopic (SEM) and transmission electron microscopic (TEM) images. CoONRs showed high electrocatalytic activity for the electro-oxidation of glucose in alkaline media, and the activity was strongly influenced by NaOH concentration, annealing temperature of CoONRs, and thickness of CoONRs film. The pertinent sensor could be successfully used for the quantification of glucose by amperometric method. The sensing parameters include wide linear range up to 3.5 mM, a high sensitivity of 571.8 μA/(cm(2) mM), and a remarkable low detection limit of 0.058 μM. The CoONRs modified electrode exhibited a high selectivity for glucose in human serum, against ascorbic acid, uric acid, and acetaminophen. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Investigation of skin structures based on infrared wave parameter indirect microscopic imaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, Jun; Liu, Xuefeng; Xiong, Jichuan; Zhou, Lijuan

2017-02-01

Detailed imaging and analysis of skin structures are becoming increasingly important in modern healthcare and clinic diagnosis. Nanometer resolution imaging techniques such as SEM and AFM can cause harmful damage to the sample and cannot measure the whole skin structure from the very surface through epidermis, dermis to subcutaneous. Conventional optical microscopy has the highest imaging efficiency, flexibility in onsite applications and lowest cost in manufacturing and usage, but its image resolution is too low to be accepted for biomedical analysis. Infrared parameter indirect microscopic imaging (PIMI) uses an infrared laser as the light source due to its high transmission in skins. The polarization of optical wave through the skin sample was modulated while the variation of the optical field was observed at the imaging plane. The intensity variation curve of each pixel was fitted to extract the near field polarization parameters to form indirect images. During the through-skin light modulation and image retrieving process, the curve fitting removes the blurring scattering from neighboring pixels and keeps only the field variations related to local skin structures. By using the infrared PIMI, we can break the diffraction limit, bring the wide field optical image resolution to sub-200nm, in the meantime of taking advantage of high transmission of infrared waves in skin structures.

Laser-induced selective metallization of polypropylene doped with multiwall carbon nanotubes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ratautas, Karolis; Gedvilas, Mindaugas; Stankevičiene, Ina; Jagminienė, Aldona; Norkus, Eugenijus; Pira, Nello Li; Sinopoli, Stefano; Račiukaitis, Gediminas

2017-08-01

Moulded interconnect devices (MID) offer the material, weight and cost saving by integration electronic circuits directly into polymeric components used in automotive and other consumer products. Lasers are used to write circuits directly by modifying the surface of polymers followed by an electroless metal plating. A new composite material - the polypropylene doped with multiwall carbon nanotubes was developed for the laser-induced selective metallization. Mechanism of surface activation by laser irradiation was investigated in details utilising pico- and nanoseconds lasers. Deposition of copper was performed in the autocatalytic electroless plating bath. The laser-activated polymer surfaces have been studied using the Raman spectroscopy and scanning electron microscope (SEM). Microscopic images revealed that surface becomes active only after its melting by a laser. Alterations in the Raman spectra of the D and G bands indicated the clustering of carbon additives in the composite material. Optimal laser parameters for the surface activation were found by measuring a sheet resistance of the finally metal-plated samples. A spatially selective copper plating was achieved with the smallest conductor line width of 22 μm at the laser scanning speed of 3 m/s and the pulse repetition rate of 100 kHz. Finally, the technique was validated by making functional electronic circuits by this MID approach.