Big SEM: online

I recently got Milly the big SEM online. She had a ton off issues that I’ll chronicle in future posts. But rather than dwell on her past, let’s see what she can do.

Remember that 2mm stainless screw?  Here it is again, with my finger for scale:

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And here is the gap between two threads, up close and personal:

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Here are some more samples. We’ll look at the stuff on the right-hand strip for now:

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They are (from top to bottom):

1. Pollen from a random tree (not sure of the species). Those pods contain the pollen; the actual pollen is too small to see in that shot.
2. A dandelion seed. The SEM photos are of the bushy head and a single fiber.
3. Highly ordered pyrolytic graphite (which we’ll skip for now)
4. Crystalline boron

Pollen

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Dandelion seed head

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Dandelion seed fiber

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Boron

<img decoding=”async” loading=”lazy” class=”aligncenter wp-image-1453 size-full” src=”uploads/2015/05/boron-animated.gif

 

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I’m still learning how to use Milly as a camera (so many variables!) but I’m really pleased with this first batch of shots.

Getting better contrast on organics will be a lot easier once I get the sputter coater online. There are a bunch more photos (including hematite and more) in the gallery.