The technique is known as  electron channeling contrast imaging  (ECCI), and this particular image was obtained using a GeminiSEM. Dr. Sato Kaoru has used this electron microscopy technique (and many others) when characterizing manufactured steel. Learn more here on various techniques to obtain high impact electron microscope images:  The Impact of Advanced SEM on Materials Characterization Webinar

Chitin is the second most abundant polysaccharide in nature and can be found in the exoskeletons of crustaceans and mollusks. The micrograph was obtained on a GeminiSEM at the University of California, Merced. Kennedy Nguyen, the Manager of the Imaging and Microscopy Facility at UC Merced helps researchers capture the images required for high impact research. He is an  Innovator in SEM, and has shared how his high-resolution FE-SEM has advanced the quality of research at his university. Listen to and read about his insights  here.

This is being performed at a high magnification in high vacuum – traditionally very difficult on biological samples. This challenge is overcome by using a low kV accelerating voltage (1 kV here). On the GeminiSEM you don’t need to compromise resolution and flexibility on a charging sample. This image was obtained at the Cornell Center for Materials Research with the help of Malcolm Thomas. Malcolm is an  Innovator in SEM, teaching users with a variety of backgrounds how to get the most out of their time at the FE-SEM. Learn more about the importance of low kV imaging and analytics  here.

It was obtained at the University of South Carolina on a GeminiSEM.  Without lead treatment, there are pores easily visible on the surface. However, this treatment severely damages the surface and injures the plant. Soumitra is the Director of the Electron Microscopy Center at USC and an  Innovator in SEM. Check out the latest GeminiSEM releases  here  to learn more about latest electron column technology.

These asteroids could have been originally made up of little bits of silicate, metal, ices, and organic material. These asteroids may not have gotten hot enough to melt, but they did at least get warm enough that the ices melted, and the water reacted with the existing minerals to form new ones. This image was taken by Dr. Emma Bullock at the Earth & Planets Lab. Emma is an  Innovator in SEM, helping users to collect data on samples as varied as high-pressure experimental run products, new materials, and more. Check out more chemical analysis and geoscience work on ZEISS instruments  here  and  here.  

It is generated by the deflection of secondary electrons by the sample’s intrinsic magnetic fields. The GeminiSEM lens does not apply an external magnetic field to the sample strong enough to cancel this deflection; therefore domain imaging is possible. To obtain high resolution, one does not require an immersion lens or sample biasing, allowing for imaging of many samples in their native state. More magnetic sample imaging can be seen  here.

It has been stripped to its silicon substrate with HF acid etching. The image was acquired with the  MultiSEM  506 at 4 nm pixel size, covering a hexagonal field of view of 165 x 143 mm. The MultiSEM utilizes 61 or 91 parallel electron beams, which descend onto the sample and acquire an image. This area was acquired in  1.4 seconds. Check out other examples of large area imaging with ZEISS FE-SEM  here  and learn more about MultiSEM at our  ISTFA booth.  

Silver nanoparticles are well known to be antimicrobial and have been coated on various substrates in the past. Size, morphology and adhesion, among other factors, are important to observe. The natural fibers are very insulating. One way to image insulating samples is to use variable pressure (VP). On the GeminiSEM NanoVP Mode is possible, which increases the chamber pressure during imaging. In NanoVP the beam gas path length (BGPL) is drastically reduced, to keep the objective lens itself in high vacuum while the sample is being exposed to gas. This overcomes the challenges in imaging incredibly insulating samples and performing analytical techniques. As you can see, the silver nanoparticles are clearly resolved and distinguished from the fiber substrate. Learn more about our VP capabilities  here.

Sample: courtesy of F. Simon, Leibniz-Institute for Polymer Research Dresden e.V., Germany.

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