JEOL USA Blog

Some research objectives demand a multidimensional approach, whereby SEM imaging is combined with a unique workflow of additional testing equipment.

Lithium-ion batteries were commercially introduced in 1991, presenting new analytical challenges in the quest to improve the quality, safety, and lifespan of this fastest-growing battery chemistry. The basic structure of Lithium-ion batteries (LIB) contains as many as 10 different thin films that are synthesized to form at least that many solid−solid interfaces. These interfaces consist of thin layers of cathode material, insulating barriers, anode materials, metal current collectors, and the electrolyte. These various components are in the form of powders, sheets, and fluids and require an assessment before and after assembly and after repeated charge/discharge operations.

Focused ion beam technologies are considered to be the newest field of electron microscopy, being used for nanostructural analysis. Read on.

Triple-quad mass spectrometry technology was invented by Christie G. Enke and Richard A. Yost in the late 1970’s. Here's all you need to know.

The key difference between SEM imaging and TEM is that SEM produces an image by detecting secondary or backscattered electrons, whereas TEM uses transmitted electrons to form an image.

A relatively novel frontier in improving the depth of metrological data that electron microscopy can provide is three-dimensional (3D) electron microscopy.

Typical New England beach sand differs in color from light and dark grey to medium tan based on its common mineralogy, but at Plum Island Beach there are swatches of purple sand that appear haphazardly as one walks along the shore.

What makes the difference between a good SEM image and a stellar one? Imaging samples at the appropriate conditions, and that often means at very low accelerating voltage (low kV). It's time to give it a try!

Professor Simon Watkins' lab at University of Pittsburgh, in collaboration with JEOL USA, has been developing novel ways to analyze biological structures in 3D, utilizing correlative FESEM and fluorescence microscopy. The paper “Correlative Fluorescence and Electron Microscopy in 3D – Scanning Electron Microscope Perspective” (Current Protocols in Cytrometry) describes how the ability to correlate fluorescence microscopy and electron microscopy data obtained on biological specimens bridges the resolution gap between the data obtained by these different imaging techniques.

During this unprecedented time when masks are being worn to help prevent the spread of COVID-19, we thought it would be interesting to take a closer look at masks. These were imaged on our IT500HR Scanning Electron Microscope at different magnifications.