Nanostructure Characterisation by TEM and AFM
topic
Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) of RuO₄-stained thin sections reveals lamellar crystals, fibrillar structure, and skin-core boundary. Selected-area electron diffraction (SAED) confirms crystalline orientation. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) in tapping mode reveals surface fibrillar texture (fibril period 50–200 nm), surface roughness (Ra 1–50 nm), and local elastic modulus variation by PeakForce QNM.
Role
TEM and AFM provide direct visual and quantitative evidence of fibre nanostructure that validates models derived from scattering and spectroscopy, and is increasingly important in characterising nanofunctional coatings and nanocomposite fibres.