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Environmental scanning electron microscopy instruments
While electron microscopy has long been the benchmark for materials structural analysis, it has been limited to samples that are stable under vacuum. This generally does not represent the conditions experienced by the material in its native operating environment and can limit your understanding of its properties and behavior. Furthermore, modern materials science research is also focusing on more complex materials. These materials are typically nonconductive, dirty, wet, chemically reactive, or outgassing. Truly relevant observations require high-resolution imaging and analysis under various experimental and environmental conditions. Sample preparation would ideally also be minimized to preserve the original state of the material.
Environmental scanning electron microscopy (ESEM) expands the boundaries of traditional SEM to deliver deeper insights into all types of samples. ESEM allows for imaging of samples with minimal preparation and adds variables such as hydration, thermal cycling, and the introduction of gas to characterize in situ changes. Using water vapor and a temperature control stage, some of the “impossible to image samples” such as hydrated samples or highly outgassing samples (whose properties can easily be characterized.
Environmental scanning electron microscopy can be performed on our flexible and intuitive microscopes without compromising on resolution. These ultra-versatile SEMs combine all-around high-resolution imaging with analytical measurements in on sample in their natural state.
In situ heating microscopy
Real-world materials analyses ideally takes place under variable environmental conditions, such as increasing or decreasing temperatures. The behavior of your heated material as it (re)crystallizes, melts, or deforms can inform critical macro- and microscopic observations, such as how a manufactured part responds to stress or how feed materials behave during production. A sample’s response to heat is a dynamic process, so it must be paired with dynamic observation for accurate insight. Modern heating stages in electron microscopes allow for in situ experiments for high-resolution observation of heated materials. These demanding experiments are capable of linking sample morphology, environment, and thermodynamics, and can help you control the corresponding behavior of the bulk material.
Two-phase Co-Sb alloy during heating to 700°C on the High Vacuum Heating Stage. The antimony-rich phase sublimated during heating, causing exposure of the second phase.
SEM heating stages
There are many considerations when operating electron microscopes at elevated temperatures, such as the desired temperature range, sample size, and chemical environment. The following table shows what is possible with Thermo Scientific temperature stages.
| Name | Application | Temperature | Max. Sample Size | Environment |
| High vacuum heating stage | General-purpose heating, high resolution imaging, in-column detection, fast processes, electron-backscatter diffraction (EBSD) | Up to 1100°C (EBSD up to 900°C) |
10 mm | High vacuum |
| Environmental SEM (ESEM) stage | Heating in gaseous environment: oxidation or other chemical reactions | Up to 1000°C or 1400°C, depending on the model | 5 mm | ESEM |
| µHeater | Powder heating, chunk lift-out studies (DualBeam), STEM imaging, high-temperature EBSD and EDS, ramp rate of 10,000°C/s | Up to 1200°C | 50 µm | Any |
| Cooling stage, WetSTEM | Precise control over humidity, wetting studies, modest heating | -20°C to +60°C | 3 mm | ESEM |
In situ SEM, TEM, and FIB SEM DualBeam instruments
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For Research Use Only. Not for use in diagnostic procedures.