The University of Mashreq
Department of Medical Physics
Nanosicences
Lec-3 : Nanomaterials Measurements techniques
Dr. Ahmed Al-jumaili
Outline
Methods to analyze nanostructured materials
X-ray Diffraction (XRD)
Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM)
Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM)
Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM)
Four-point probe
Ultraviolet/Visible/Infrared spectroscopy
X-ray Diffraction (XRD)
When a monochromatic beam of X-ray hits the atoms in the
crystal lattice, each atom acts as a source of dispersion whereas
crystals act as a series of parallel planar reflection.
structures
phases
crystal
orientations
average
grain size
crystal
defects
Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM)
• Electrons are emitted from the hot filament tungsten wire source and
accelerated in the high energy electric field.
• The primary electron beams are focused and refracted by a series of
electromagnetic lenses and apertures in a scale of a few nanometers.
• Sensors are used to trap the secondary electrons and produce an
electronic signal. The secondary electrons are crucial in showing the
morphology and topography of the samples
Transmission Electron Microscopy
-Transmission electron microscopy is a
microscopy technique in which a beam
of electrons is transmitted through a
specimen to form an image.
-The crystal structure of samples
serves as a diffraction grating and
scatters the incident electrons via
Bragg's Law in the system.
Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM)
AFM measures the interaction force
(attractive or repulsive) between the
probe and the surface
The probe is continuously moved on
the surface and the cantilever
deflection is constantly monitored
Four-point probe
Current goes through the two outer probes, and the difference in
be calculated using the following equation; where 𝜌 is the resistivity, L
voltage is measured between the two inner probes. The resistance can
is a length and 𝐴=𝑊×𝑡: cross-section area.
R=ρ L/A= ρ L/Wt
Ultraviolet/Visible/Infrared spectroscopy
• Spectroscopy is used to determine both the chemical composition as well as physical properties of
matter.
• The monochromator is used to separate the light by wavelength using a dispersing element, most
commonly an optical grating
