Meso-scale transmission electron microscope tomography applied for wax distribution in toner particles.
Distribution of wax in laser printer toner was observed using an ultra-high-voltage (UHV) and a medium-voltage transmission electron microscope (TEM). As the radius of the wax spans a hundred to greater than a thousand nanometers, its three-dimensional recognition via TEM requires large depth of focus (DOF) for a volumetric specimen. A tomogram with a series of the captured images would allow the determination of their spatial distribution. In this study, bright-field (BF) images acquired with UHV-TEM at a high tilt angle prevented the construction of the tomogram. Conversely, the Z-contrast images acquired by the medium-voltage TEM produced a successful tomogram. The spatial resolution for both is discussed, illustrating that the image degradation was primarily caused by beam divergence of the Z-contrast image and the combination of DOF and chromatic aberration of the BF image from the UHV-TEM.
Analytical Engineering Group, Samsung Advanced Institute of Technology, Youngin, Gyeonggi-do 446-712, Korea.
Mino
M
Yang
Jun-Ho
JH
Lee
Hee-Goo
HG
Kim
Euna
E
Kim
Young-Nam
YN
Kwon
Jin-Gyu
JG
Kim
Cheol-Woong
CW
Yang