Page 58 - Introduction to Colloid and Surface Chemistry

48 Optical properties

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Electron source

Condenser lens
Object
Objective lens

Intermediate image
Projection lens

Final image

Figure 3.1 Schematic representation of the transmission electron microscope

irrespective of the resolution, owing to the rapid fluctuation of their
location.
The useful range of the transmission electron microscope for
particle size measurement is c. 1 nm-5 /u,m diameter. Owing to the
complexity of calculating the degree of magnification directly, this is
usually determined by calibration using characterised polystyrene
latex particles or a diffraction grating.
The use of the electron microscope for studying colloidal systems is
limited by the fact that electrons can only travel unhindered in high
vacuum, so that any system having a significant vapour pressure must
be thoroughly dried before it can be observed. Such pretreatment
may result in a misrepresentation of the sample under consideration.
Instability of the sample to electron beams could also result in
misrepresentation.
A small amount of the material under investigation is deposited on
an electron-transparent plastic or carbon film (10-20 nm thick)
supported on a fine copper mesh grid. The sample scatters electrons
out of the field of view, and the final image can be made visible on a
fluorescent screen. The amount of scattering depends on the
thickness and on the atomic number of the atoms forming the
specimen, so that organic materials are relatively electron-transparent