Electron Microscopy is a game-changing technology that is regularly used in a variety of industries including medicine. It can allow doctors and scientists to see images 100 million times smaller than what the naked eye can see. This includes bacteria, viruses molecules, and atoms.
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What is Electron Microscopy?
Electron Microscopy is a technique that captures high-resolution images of both non-biological and biological specimens. Usually, Electron Microscopy is used in biomedical research. There are many companies around the world that provide scanning electron microscopy services.
How does Electron Microscopy work?
A concentrated beam of electrons is gathered and fired at the sample; this allows magnification of the given sample’s image.
A concentrated and fast beam of electrons is shot at a specimen. The specimen must be kept in a vacuum chamber as electrons struggle to travel through the air. Coil-shaped Electromagnets are then replacing the lenses. These coils bend the electron, and the image is completed as a photograph (an electron micrograph). These photographs can be in the form of physical images or on a tv screen.
What are the benefits of Electron Microscopy?
Naturally, there are a lot of benefits of Electron Microscopy, and that is why its regularly used in medicine and biology.
- Electron Microscopy can allow scientists to see images that cannot be seen with the naked eye or through standard microscopy. Electron Microscopy images are 1000x more detailed.
- Electron Microscopy is versatile and has a range of applications. It is used in biomedical science, technology, and chemistry.
- The images that Electron Microscopy produces are high quality and when used correctly an electron microscope can produce in-depth and high-quality images which can reveal scientific discoveries regular microscopes cannot.
Therefore, there are a lot of benefits to Electron Microscopy. This revolutionary technology can help scientists in varied industries to create images and learn about discoveries beyond regular microscopy.
Are there any downsides to Electron Microscopy?
Of course, with any technology there are downsides, but it must be stated that these downsides do not outweigh the benefits.
- Live species cannot be photographed. Due to specimens needing to be analysed in a vacuum chamber, live specimens cannot be photographed. This may limit the use of Electron Microscopy in biological research.
- Only black and white images can be created with an electron microscope. This may mean that less detail appears, and images must be colorised afterward.
- Electron Microscopes are very expensive, therefore, only larger companies or well-funded projects can afford to obtain and use them.
- Electron microscopes are very large, even with the reduction of size over time, these microscopes are still large and bulky. They are also highly sensitive and magnetic fields or vibrations from other equipment can interfere. Therefore, having ample space and a private room for the microscope is a must.
- Electron microscopes aren’t easy to use. Operators must be trained and this may take a few years.
Therefore, it may seem like there are a lot of downsides to electron microscopy, however, the downsides such as the long training time, high cost, and large size are insignificant in comparison to the benefits and scientific discoveries possible with such technology.
So, what are the wonders of Electron Microscopy?
This technology is highly sought after, despite the high cost and large size being a few of the downsides. The benefits of this technology still make it one of the best options for multiple industries. The high detailed imaging and versatility allow scientists in biology, medicine, technology, and chemistry to create images impossible to the naked eye.
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