Abstract
Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) is an important electron microscopy technique that is capable of achieving a detailed visual image of a particle with high-quality and spatial resolution. SEM is a multipurpose state-of-the-art instrument which is largely employed to observe the surface phenomena of the materials. The sample is exposed in SEM to the high-energy electron beam and gives information about topography, morphology, composition, chemistry, orientation of grains, crystallographic information, etc. of a material, and therefore SEM is a useful tool to be used for the characterization of materials. Morphology indicates the shape and size, while topography indicates the surface features of an object or “how it looks”, its texture, smoothness or roughness. Likewise, composition means elements and compounds that constitute the material, while crystallography means the arrangement of atoms in the materials. This chapter is focused on discussing briefly the SEM technique, its utilization, principle, advancement, operation, samples preparation and applications in materials science. We will explain what does SEM mean, what can be done with a SEM, how it functions and what are the different parts of the SEM.
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Acknowledgement
The authors are grateful to the Department of Chemistry and the Center of Excellence for Advanced Materials Research (CEAMR) at King Abdulaziz University for providing research facilities.
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Akhtar, K., Khan, S.A., Khan, S.B., Asiri, A.M. (2018). Scanning Electron Microscopy: Principle and Applications in Nanomaterials Characterization. In: Sharma, S. (eds) Handbook of Materials Characterization. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-92955-2_4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-92955-2_4
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