In recent years, SEM’s have come to almost completely replace the classic optical light microscopes in industries where the most magnification power is needed. This is the case with technology, biology, and even art. Their immense magnifying capacity has helped researchers around the world better understand everything around us.
Popular SEM Applications
Materials science
SEMs used in metallography are generally equipped with an X-ray spectrometer that allows their use in many areas. They are very commonly used tools for the microstructural characterization of materials that make it possible to obtain information related to the morphology and the distribution of the constituents, as well as crystallographic and compositional information.
Petrography
SEM is widely used in the different branches of geology to help identify different mineralogical phases. Automated petrography by electron microscopes represents one of the great recent advances in petrography but remains however limited by the impossibility of differentiating polymorphic minerals.
Biology
Unlike transmission electron microscopes, MEB lends itself little to the study of cells. On the other hand, the relief vision of the MEB lends itself well to the observation of microorganisms, not necessarily for the power of spatial resolution, but for the depth of field significantly higher than that of optical microscopes.
Miscellaneous Applications
The scanning electron microscope is one of the fundamental devices for tribological research (tribology is the science of friction, wear, and lubrication). Due to their high depth of field, these microscopes allow researchers to see in high detail, all the effects caused by friction, thus becoming an important tool.
SEMs became popular by allowing the observed samples to be placed in a low partial vacuum—pressure-controlled microscopes and environmental chamber microscopes—, which made it possible to extend the possibilities of observation to non-conductive materials, “soft” matter, and living microorganisms. In fact, electron microscopes with their endless applications have paved the way for development in many industries.