Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) is a powerful imaging tool that allows us to peer inside materials down to the micro and nano levels, revealing structural information about the sample under investigation. This information is valuable in that it understanding structure can provide insights into how a material might behave.
It is commonplace to have detectors such as EDS or even WDS, EBSD or even CL on an SEM which provide additional information on chemical composition or crystallographic structure, there are numerous other “in situ SEM solutions” that allow you to perform dynamic experiments within your SEM. Thus converting your SEM into a dynamic experimental platform, delivering deeper insights, higher confidence data and faster innovation across materials science, engineering and applied research.
Benefits of In Situ SEM Experiments
The ability to perform in situ experiments inside a scanning electron microscope (SEM) delivers substantial technical and scientific advantages by enabling direct, real-time observation of material behaviour under applied stimuli. Key benefits include:
- Real-time correlation of structure and behaviour – In situ SEM allows researchers to observe microstructural changes—such as deformation, fracture, phase transformation, or crack propagation as they occur. This provides direct cause-and-effect insight that cannot be obtained from post-mortem analysis
- Improved experimental fidelity – Applying mechanical load, heating, cooling, electrical bias, or environmental control within the SEM eliminates artefacts introduced by removing, handling, or re-preparing samples between test steps, resulting in more reliable and repeatable data
- Enhanced understanding of failure mechanisms – In situ testing enables precise identification of initiation sites and progression pathways for damage, wear, corrosion, or fatigue, supporting more accurate failure analysis and materials optimisation
- Multi-modal data acquisition – In situ experiments can be combined with SEM-based techniques such as EBSD, EDS, and cathodoluminescence, allowing simultaneous correlation of crystallography, chemistry, and morphology under active conditions
- Accelerated R&D and reduced iteration cycles – Observing responses immediately under controlled conditions reduces trial-and-error, shortens development timelines, and improves decision-making in materials and device development
- Relevance to real-world operating conditions – In situ SEM enables testing under conditions that closely simulate service environments—such as elevated temperatures, electrical loading, or reactive gases—improving the predictive value of laboratory results
Applications
In situ SEM experiments have application in many areas, including, but not restricted to:
- Nanomaterials
- Thin films
- Batteries
- Semiconductors
- MEMS
- Biomaterials
- Additively manufactured components
In Situ SEM Solutions
Alemnis – Micromechanical testing
Newtec Scientific – Thermo-mechanical testing
Kammrath & Weiss – Thermo-mechanical testing
Nenovision – Correlative AFM in SEM
Kleindiek Nanotechnik – Nanomanipulation and Probing
