JEOL USA Blog

Benchtop SEM is a key analytical tool in investigating materials' batteries, fuel cells, supercapacitors, electrolyzers and heterogeneous catalysts.

Benchtop SEM is used in industry and academia to characterize nanosized particles’ morphological, topographical, and chemical characteristics.

Tabletop Scanning Electron Microscopes are powerful tools for failure analysis, quality control and materials characterization in additive manufacturing.

The tabletop scanning electron microscope (tabletop SEM) will likely play a pivotal role in the rapid and efficient characterization of new drug treatments.

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.

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!