High resolution electron microscopy in materials research
Abstract
The historical evolution and the future aspects of high resolution electron microscopy are covered briefly. As for the applications for materials science and inorganic chemistry, we are positive about the future of electron microscopy, particularly when combined with other techniques. The strong interaction between sample and electron beam provides chemical, structural and electronic information through the emission of X-rays, inelastically scattered electrons, light,etc. We try to illustrate the strong points of high resolution electron microscopy with a few examples in different fields of solid state chemistry, including high Tc superconducting materials, colossal magnetoresistant materials and ionic conductors. The tendency of modern technology towards reduced dimensionality increases the importance of electron microscopy as a quality control device.