Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM)

Introduction to Transmission Electron Microscope

Transmission electron microscopes can image at substantially better resolution than light microscopes because electrons have a shorter de Broglie wavelength. This allows the instrument to record exquisite detail, down to a single column of atoms, which is thousands of times smaller than a resolvable object observed with a light microscope. Transmission electron microscopy is an important analytical technique in the physical, chemical, and biological sciences.

Principle and Methodology of TEM

The Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM) operates similarly to a light microscope but uses a beam of electrons to focus on a specimen. Electrons have a shorter wavelength than light, and the resolution power increases as the electron illuminates the specimen. This results in a resolution power of about 1000 times higher than that of a light microscope, as the electron’s wavelength is about 0.005nm, which is 100,000 times shorter than light. Therefore, TEM offers better resolution than a light microscope.

Instrumentation of TEM

TEMs consist of five basic components: 

• High voltage source. 
• Vacuum system 
• Microscope column 
• Detectors (such as image cameras and spectrometers) 
• Control computers and software.

Applications of TEM

TEM is applied in a wide range of fields. From biology, microbiology, nanotechnology, forensics, and so on. Some of these applications are:

• Visualize and examine the cell structures of bacteria, viruses, and fungi.
• To see bacterial flagella and plasmids 
• View the shapes and sizes of microbial cell organelles. 
• To investigate and distinguish between plant and animal cells. 
• It’s also used in nanotechnology to investigate nanoparticles like ZnO nanoparticles. 
• It detects and identifies fractures and broken microparticles, allowing the particles to repair themselves.

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