Electron microscopes provide observation on the nanometer scale. Conventional EM operates under high vacuum. The FEI Quanta 600 incorporates innovative technology that supports low-vacuum operation, so that samples can be exposed to 0-100% relative humidities at different temperatures (using hot and cold stages) to study the response in situ of material to changing environmental conditions. In addition, the large chamber allows whole documents to be placed inside the chamber for high-magnification study and elemental analysis (see section on Energy-Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy).
Applications:
- high-resolution examination of pigment morphology to distinguish chemically similar materials, such as charcoal from lamp black
- documentation morphological changes to magnetic tape at variable RH and temperature
- detailed surface imaging of materials before and after conservation treatments
FEI Quanta 600.
