Microanalysis to nanoanalysis: analytical techniques for chemical characterization of micrometer- to nanometer-scale materials

摘要

Natural and synthetic microstructures with micrometer- to nanometer-scale features present a significant challenge to chemical analysis techniques. As the dimensions of features are reduced, the number of atoms and molecules to be analyzed becomes so small that useful analytical signals can only be obtained through optimization of the entire measurement process: e.g., the use of high brightness radiation sources, high efficiency spectrometers, and long counting times. Techniques based upon beams of electrons, photons, ions, and neutrons and generally incorporating some form of microscopy are available. The suite of characterization techniques can provide a wide variety of information on elemental and molecular composition, morphology, and crystal structure on a scale ranging from micrometers to nanometers.