“There's Plenty of Room at the Bottom”
Today I had to do some SEM (Scanning Electron Microscopy) for my carbon nanotube samples. I always find it to be such an awe-inspiring experience. The nanotube forests are absolutely gorgeous. Each nanotube looks scraggly and weird, but when they bundle up in millions, they make these beautiful rectangular structures.
It’s so easy to lose track of time going through all the samples. Usually, we schedule viewing periods of 2-3 hours. Some hour time just flies by. I also get really carried away taking pictures of my samples because they are just so photogenic! Fun fact, Caltech has an Art of Science competition where people submit the most beautiful pictures of their research. From what I hear, there tends to be a lot of pictures of nanotubes, cells, and other microscopic awesomeness.
You have to get trained to use the SEM. Luckily, it’s only a 3 hour training sessions so it’s relatively low barrier. Also, you need a PTA account so your lab is paying for it. Funny story, the first time I was getting trained to use the SEM, I pretty much broke the machine. The electron beam chamber is very high vacuum. I had a sample embedded on a flexible polymer that was auto-gasing. The chamber couldn’t maintain a stable pressure so I had to reschedule with the technician. I’ve learned my lesson since, because now I have to do SEM analysis before I transfer. After all…
