Ceramics in the environmental Scanning Electron Microscope

Several recent advances have had a major potential impact on the microscopy of ceramic materials. The ability of modern scanning electron microscopes to image uncoated materials, at low voltage for example, whilst still maintaining high resolution should make possible a wide variety of experiments that were hitherto impossible to contemplate. This ability to look at the unmodified surface of a ceramic enables iterative or dynamic experiments to be done with a lot more confidence in the results than has been possible before. A second advance has been the introduction of microscopes capable of operating at higher pressures than was previously possible. This makes possible the ability to image specimens in a variety of different environments. The environmental scanning electron microscope (ESEM) exploits of both of these novel areas. The aim of this review is to highlight areas where the unique capabilities of the ESEM may be applied to advance our understanding of ceramics.