Electron microscopes are powerful tools used to study the ultrastructure of biological and non-biological materials. Unlike traditional light microscopes, which use visible light to magnify and image samples, electron microscopes use beams of electrons to create highly detailed images with much higher magnification and resolution.
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Jetzt kostenlos anmeldenElectron microscopes are powerful tools used to study the ultrastructure of biological and non-biological materials. Unlike traditional light microscopes, which use visible light to magnify and image samples, electron microscopes use beams of electrons to create highly detailed images with much higher magnification and resolution.
With their ability to reveal the smallest details of cells, molecules, and materials, electron microscopes have revolutionized many areas of science and technology, from the study of viruses and bacteria to the development of new materials and electronics.
An electron microscope is a microscope that illuminates using a beam of accelerated electrons. They are used to study and identify the structures of very small objects. Since the wavelength of light is 100,000 times larger than an electron's wavelength, light microscopes can't be used to identify certain structures.
The infrastructure of a variety of biological and inorganic samples is examined using electron microscopes. These samples include cells, biopsy samples, crystals, metals, large molecules, microorganisms, etc.
Electron microscopes are used to create electron micrographs by capturing pictures with special digital cameras and frame grabbers.
The first prototype of an electron microscope (which was the first practical demonstration of how an electron microscope works) was developed by Ernst Ruska in 1931. Later in the same year, Reinhold Rudenberg obtained a patent for the electron microscope.
While the first images from a prototype electron microscope were achieved in 1932 by Ernst Ruska, using the concepts of Rudenberg's patent, the first electron microscope that with greater resolution than an optical microscope was built by Ernst Ruska in 1933.
The first commercial electron microscope, however, was produced by Siemens in 1938. Reinhold Rudenberg was the scientific director at that time.
Even though electron microscopes used today are able to create two million power magnification (a microscope's capacity to generate a picture of an item at a scale that is greater or smaller than its real size), the technology remains based on Ernst Ruska's prototype.
There are two types of electron microscopes currently used today, the transmission electron microscope and the scanning electron microscope. They both have their advantages and areas of use.
The transmission electron microscope (TEM) is the first original form of the electron microscope. It creates a picture by illuminating the specimen with a high-voltage electron beam and is used in a variety of fields such as nanotechnology, medical, forensic analysis, industry, education, etc.
Let's see how a transmission electron microscope works step by step.
The scanning electron microscope (SEM) probes the specimen with a concentrated electron beam that is scanned across a rectangular region of the specimen to obtain images, and is used in quality control, failure analysis, and materials science for research.
Let's see how a scanning electron microscope works step by step.
You have learned about some of the advantages of electron microscopes, such as magnification and higher resolution, but there are also some disadvantages.
There are several advantages of electron microscopes compared with optical microscopes.
There are also some disadvantages of using electron microscopes:
Ernst Ruska invented the electron microscope.
An electron microscope is an electron-optical apparatus that uses a beam of electrons to magnify the image of an object.
Electron microscopes are used in a wide variety of applications such as examining the ultrastructure of a variety of biological and inorganic samples, nanotechnology, medical, industry, education, quality control, failure analysis, and materials science for research.
Which of the following describes the wavelength of an electron's wavelength ratio to the wavelength of light?
It is 100,000 times smaller.
Which of the following is not one of the advantages of using electron microscopes?
They can create coloured images.
Which of the following is not one of the disadvantages of using electron microscopes?
They can't produce high-resolution images.
What is the purpose of the first lens in transmission electron microscopes?
To convert electrons into a more powerful beam.
What is the purpose of the lower coil in scanning electron microscopes?
To steer the electron beam from side to side.
Who invented the first prototype of electron microscopes?
Ernst Ruska.
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