Optical Microscopy For The Materials Sciences

Annotation CONTENTS Part 1 Basic principles: Interaction of EM radiation with materials; Digital imaging and processing. Part 2 2D Optical reflection and confocal laser scanning microscopy: 2D Optical reflection microscopy; 3D Confocal Laser Scanning. Part 3 Other microscopical techniques: Complementary optical and EM imaging techniques; Other microscopy techniques.

Since Sorby published his observations on the structures of steels in 1863, the optical microscope has become one of the most widely used and versatile instruments for examining the structures of engineering materials. Moreover, to examine the diverse range of materials encountered, it must be used in both the reflected-light and transmitted-light forms, and with polarized light. It is complementary to, but not superseded by, the wide range of electron-optical instruments that are now used. Despite its extensive use, it has been described as the most misused, abused, and misunderstood of scientific instruments, for it will produce an image of a sort no matter how badly it is used. To use it effectively, even in its simplest applications, a knowledge of the simple theory of the microscope is necessary, for the theory shows and explains how it should be used. Thus my aim has been to give a simple and, where possible, quantitative account of both the theory and the use of the microscope, including the various special techniques for which it can be used. But, no matter how effectively the microscope is used, if the specimen is inadequately prepared the results of examination will be of doubtful value.

Problems after each chapter.

This new volume, Microscopy Applied to Materials Sciences and Life Sciences. focuses on recent theoretical and practical advances in polymers and their blends, composites, and nanocompos¬ites related to their microscopic characterization. It highlights recent accomplishments and trends in the field of polymer nanocomposites and filled polymers related to microstructural characterization. This book gives an insight and better understanding into the development in microscopy as a tool for characterization. The book emphasizes recent research work in the field of microscopy in life sciences and materials sciences mainly related to its synthesis, characterizations, and applications. The book explains the application of microscopic techniques in life sciences and materials sciences, and their applications and state of current research carried out. The book aims to foster a better understanding of the properties of polymer composites by describing new techniques to measure microstructure property relationships and by utilizing techniques and expertise developed in the conventional filled polymer composites. Characterization techniques, particularly microstructural characterization, have proven to be extremely difficult because of the range of length-scales associated with these materials. Topics include: •Instrumentation and Techniques: advances in scanning probe microscopy, SEM, TEM, OM. 3D imaging and tomography, electron diffraction techniques and analytical microscopy, advances in sample preparation techniques in-situ microscopy, correlative microscopy in life and material sciences, low voltage electron microscopy. •Life Sciences: Structure and imaging of biomolecules, live cell imaging, neurobiology, organelles and cellular dynamics, multi-disciplinary approaches for medical and biological sciences, microscopic application in plants, microorganism and environmental science, super resolution microscopy in biological sciences. •Materials Sciences: materials for nanotechnology, metals alloys and inter-metallic, ceramics, composites, minerals and microscopy in cultural heritage, thin films, coatings, surfaces and interfaces, carbon based materials, polymers and soft materials and self-assembled materials, semiconductors and magnetic materials. Polymers and inorganic nanoparticles. The volume will be of significant interest to scientists working on the basic issues surrounding polymers, nanocomposites, and nanoparticulate-filled polymers, as well as those working in industry on applied problems, such as processing. Because of the multidisciplinary nature of this research, the book will be valuable to chemists, materials scientists, physicists, chemical engineers, and processing specialists who are involved and interested in the future frontiers of blends.

This interdisciplinary book, Advanced Microscopy: A Strong Analytical Tool in Materials Science, covers the methodology and applications of different advanced microscopic techniques in various research fields, including chemistry, nanotechnology, polymers, chemical engineering, and biomedical engineering, providing an informative overview that helps to determine the best applications for advanced materials. Materials usually behave very differently at nanoscale in all aspects, and this volume shows how microscopy can help provide a detailed understanding of materials such as semiconductors, metals, polymers, biopolymers, etc. The volume illustrates advanced microscopic techniques that include scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), confocal microscopy, and others. The microscopy techniques presented in the volume show applications in many areas of science, including botany and plant science, medicine, nanotechnology, chemistry, food science, waste management, and others. This book presents the diverse advanced microscopic techniques for researchers, giving a better understanding as well as implementation of novel techniques in materials science.