Nanoparticle Analysis with Electron Microscopy

Nanotechnology is transforming products from the textile industry to consumer electronics, medicine and even the energy sector. Nanoparticles exhibit different properties at the nanoscale compared to bulk materials. Some are better at conducting electricity and heat while others have enhanced strength, magnetic or light reflective properties. Nanoscale materials also have greater surface areas to allow them to act as chemical catalysts in industrial applications or in automotive catalytic converters.

Characterizing the composition, sizes and shapes of nanoparticles is crucial to understanding their unique properties. Researchers use intuitive scanning or transmission electron microscopes in combination with energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDX), to obtain nanometer-, and even sub-nanometer-, scale images and chemical data, to gain important insights into the arrangement and potential functions of nanoparticles.

To preserve the context of their observations while also providing statistically robust data, researchers need large area correlative imaging at high resolution. Thermo Scientific Maps Software enables automated, unattended acquisition of images across a sample that are then stitched together to create one large final image. Additionally, Thermo Scientific Avizo Software allows for on-the-fly processing of statistics such as size, surface area, perimeter, distribution, and chemical composition of nanoparticles. By correlating image and chemical data from different microscopes researchers can retain relevant context.