SEM ZEISS SIGMA

• Tecnical description

  Zeiss Sigma scanning electron microscope with field-emission source, equipped with a GEMINI column and In-Lens detector, allowing the aquisition of high-resolution images on both conducting and non-conducting samples. The microscope is equipped with X-ray detectors (EDS), backscattering (BSE) and secondary electrons (SE). The X-ray detection system is from Oxford Instruments and, in addition to conventional X-ray analysis capabilities, produces high-resolution maps of the electron emission. This instrument is especially well-suited for samples with poor electronic contrast and that cannot be chemically modified or coated, as it allows the the use of very low accelerating voltages (as low as 100 V).

• Research areas and applications

  Thanks to its flexibility, the Zeiss Sigma microscope finds many applications in the investigation of morphology and chemical composition of solids, also without metal coatings or chemical treatments. Materials Science (polymers, fibers, semiconductors, metals, alloys,…), life sciences (micro- and nanostructure of microrganisms, bones, prosthesis,…), geosciences and natural resources (rocks, minerals,…) and, more generally, industrial applications (such as in the case of powders) are some examples.

• Science highlights

  • Size and distribution of palladium nanoparticles electrodeposited on graphite, Saldan et al. https://doi.org/10.15407/fm25.01.082
  • PVA-based peelable films loaded with tetraethylenepentamine for the removal of corrosion products from bronze, Guaragnone et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apmt.2019.100549
  • Modifying the crystallization of amorphous magnesium-calcium phosphate nanoparticles with proteins from Moringa oleifera seeds, Gelli et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcis.2021.01.008

Experimental team

Instrument Scientist

• Emiliano Fratini
• CSGI-University of Florence
• Professor

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