scholarly journals Advanced Electron Microscopy Techniques in Nanomaterials Characterization at NASA Glenn Research Center

Author(s):  
Francisco Solá
Author(s):  
C.E. Voegele-Kliewer ◽  
A.D. McMaster ◽  
G.W. Dirks

Materials other than polymers, e.g. ceramic silicates, are currently being investigated for gas separation processes. The permeation characteristics of one such material, Vycor (Corning Glass #1370), have been reported for the separation of hydrogen from hydrogen iodide. This paper will describe the electron microscopy techniques applied to reveal the porous microstructure of a Vycor membrane. The application of these techniques has led to an increased understanding in the relationship between the substructure and the gas transport properties of this material.


Biology ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 51
Author(s):  
Michela Relucenti ◽  
Giuseppe Familiari ◽  
Orlando Donfrancesco ◽  
Maurizio Taurino ◽  
Xiaobo Li ◽  
...  

Several imaging methodologies have been used in biofilm studies, contributing to deepening the knowledge on their structure. This review illustrates the most widely used microscopy techniques in biofilm investigations, focusing on traditional and innovative scanning electron microscopy techniques such as scanning electron microscopy (SEM), variable pressure SEM (VP-SEM), environmental SEM (ESEM), and the more recent ambiental SEM (ASEM), ending with the cutting edge Cryo-SEM and focused ion beam SEM (FIB SEM), highlighting the pros and cons of several methods with particular emphasis on conventional SEM and VP-SEM. As each technique has its own advantages and disadvantages, the choice of the most appropriate method must be done carefully, based on the specific aim of the study. The evaluation of the drug effects on biofilm requires imaging methods that show the most detailed ultrastructural features of the biofilm. In this kind of research, the use of scanning electron microscopy with customized protocols such as osmium tetroxide (OsO4), ruthenium red (RR), tannic acid (TA) staining, and ionic liquid (IL) treatment is unrivalled for its image quality, magnification, resolution, minimal sample loss, and actual sample structure preservation. The combined use of innovative SEM protocols and 3-D image analysis software will allow for quantitative data from SEM images to be extracted; in this way, data from images of samples that have undergone different antibiofilm treatments can be compared.


Microscopy ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 66 (6) ◽  
pp. 414-423
Author(s):  
Monalisa Mishra ◽  
Ashutosh Choudhury ◽  
P Sagar Achary ◽  
Harekrushna Sahoo

Abstract Butterflies wings possess different types of scales to perform diverse functions. Each scale has many nano and microstructures, which interferes with light, resulting in unique coloration for each butterfly. Besides coloration, the arrangement of scales further helps in giving better survivability. Thus, analysis of wing pattern provides an overall idea about adaptation and activity of the animal. The current study deciphers the structure and composition of a wing of a pierid butterfly Catopsilia pomona, which remains active at 42°C at which temperature all other butterflies face a tougher task for existence. In order to know the relation between survivability and adaptation in the wing, we have investigated the structural and physical composition of the wing of C. pomona under optical spectroscopy (absorption, reflectance and transmittance) along with microscopy techniques (optical and scanning electron microscopy), which are not described in earlier studies. The current findings reveal unique structural arrangement within scales to provide the best fit to the animal in variable temperature.


1993 ◽  
Vol 313 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mary Beth Stearns ◽  
Yuanda Cheng

ABSTRACTSeveral series of CoxAg1-x granular thin films (-3000Å) were fabricated by coevapora-tion of Co and Ag in a dual e-beam UHV deposition system at varying substrate temperatures. These films have low field magnetoresistance values as large as 31% at room temperature and 65% at liquid N2 temperature. The structure of the films was determined using magnetization measurements as well as x-ray and various electron microscopy techniques. The composition was determined using Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy. The Magnetoresistance was measured at both room and liquid N2 temperatures.We deduce from the magnetization and RBS Measurements that the films consist of Co globules embedded in a Ag Matrix and that there is no appreciable mixing of the Co and Ag atoms in the films deposited at substrate temperatures ≥ 400°K. The size of the Co globules is seen to increase with increasing Co concentration and the maximum magnetoresistance occurs in those films having the smallest Ag thickness which provides magnetic isolation of the Co globules.We suggest that the large magnetoresistance of these films arises from the same mechanism which causes the low field magnetoresistance in pure ferromagnets, namely, the scattering of the highly polarized d conduction electrons of the Co at magnetic boundaries. The large increase in the room temperature magnetoresistance of the CO/Ag films as compared to those of pure 3d ferromagnetic films is due to the distance between the magnetic boundaries being reduced to a few nanometers, because of the small size of the single domain Co globules, as compared to a few microns in 3d ferromagnets.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrea Fera ◽  
Qianping He ◽  
Guofeng Zhang ◽  
Richard D. Leapman

SummaryStain density is an important parameter for optimizing the quality of ultrastructural data obtained from several types of 3D electron microscopy techniques, including serial block-face electron microscopy (SBEM), and focused ion beam scanning electron microscopy (FIB-SEM). Here, we show how some straightforward measurements in the TEM can be used to determine the stain density based on a simple expression that we derive. Numbers of stain atoms per unit volume are determined from the measured ratio of the bright-field intensities from regions of the specimen that contain both pure embedding material and the embedded biological structures of interest. The determination only requires knowledge of the section thickness, which can either be estimated from the microtome setting, or from low-dose electron tomography, and the elastic scattering cross section for the heavy atoms used to stain the specimen. The method is tested on specimens of embedded blood platelets, brain tissue, and liver tissue.


2021 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 203-208
Author(s):  
Sérgio Pinter Garcia Filho ◽  
Leandro Luis Martins ◽  
Paulo Fernandes Marcusso ◽  
Tais Harumi de Castro Sasahara ◽  
Márcia Rita Fernandes Machado

Lowland paca (Cuniculus paca, Linnaeus, 1766) is a medium-sized rodent that belongs to the Brazilian fauna. Yet little information on its morphology is found in the specialized literature. Thus, the objective of the work was to study the morphology of the adrenal gland of paca by means of microscopic ultrastructure analysis. The adrenal gland secretes specialized substances in the body which promote biological functions of great importance and will provide valuable information to studies in comparative anatomy. Two (2) adult lowland pacas were used, male and female. Soon after death, the animals were positioned in the supine position; their abdominal cavities were opened by pre-retro umbilical and lateral incision followed by folding of the abdominal walls to expose the glands. The adrenal glands were removed; fragments were collected, fixed and prepared for ultrastructure observations using scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy techniques. It was observed that the adrenal glands of the paca have divisions as well as the limits of the cortical and medullary region, as well as the subdivisions of the glomerulosa, fasciculated and reticulated areas of the cortical region as in other rodents. An ultrastructure of cells and their components also showed a lot of similarity to that already demonstrated in different rodents.


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