The Analyses of Anthropogenic Atmospheric Particulates by EM
This presentation will summarize fourteen years of research on the physical and chemical nature of particulates suspended in the earths atmosphere utilizing scanning electron microscopy and, to a lesser extent, transmission electron microscopy. Topics to be discussed include (1) the rationale for using electron microscopy to study airborne particulates, (2) methods for collecting airborne particulates, (3) methods of analysis and (4) a summary of results. Examples will demonstrate how conclusions about the nature and source of collected particles can differ between bulk sample analyses and discrete particle analyses. Without the input from discrete particle analyses, bulk analytical techniques may produce serious errors in the apportionment of airborne particulates to specific sources.The scanning electron microscope (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) have proven themselves to be the preferred instruments to use in the study of discrete fine particles because they permit sufficient resolution and analytical capabilities to examine the structure and chemistry of individual particles less than a few micrometers in diameter.