Scanning Electron Microscopy of Metal-Coated Specimens Reveals Surface Features

Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) allows investigators to view the surfaces of unsectioned metal-coated specimens. An intense electron beam inside the microscope scans rapidly over the sample. Molecules in the coating are excited and release secondary electrons that are focused onto a scintillation detector; the resulting signal is displayed on a cathode-ray tube much like a conventional television (see Figure 4-28, right). The resulting scanning electron micrograph has a three-dimensional appearance because the number of secondary electrons produced by any one point on the sample depends on the angle of the electron beam in relation to the surface (Figure 4-35). The resolving power of scanning electron microscopes, which is limited by the thickness of the metal coating, is only about 10 nm, much less than that of transmission instruments.

FIGURE 4-35 Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) produces a three-dimensional image of the surface of an unsectioned specimen. Seen here is an SEM image of cells of the trachea. In the middle is a goblet cell, which secretes mucus. On either side of the goblet cell are epithelial cells with abundant cilia on their apical surfaces.

[Steve Gschmeissner/Science Source.]