Transmission Electron Spectroscopy

A spectro-microscopic view of the intimate features of the nanomaterials is allowed by means of electron beams. This is achieved with the use of transmission electron microscopes (TEM) equipped with spectrometers such as electron or optical analyzers. The monoenergetic electron beam used in TEM is a minute and intense probe penetrating thin samples. A TEM employs monoenergetic and collimated electrons as a source of radiation. The field of investigation spans from mineralogy to solid state chemistry, from organic crystallography to protein structure determination. A conventional transmission electron microscope is a “simple” apparatus composed of five main important sections: electron source, sample stage, electromagnetic lens with their respective apertures, projection chamber, and detect for the transmitted electrons. The detectability of parts of the sample with different chemical compositions strongly depends on the imaging conditions, on the specimen thickness, and on energy-loss edge intensity.