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Environmental SEM (ESEM) in the Study of Biomedical Materials, Cells & Interfaces

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 July 2020

D.J. Stokes ,
S.M. Rea ,
A.E. Porter ,
S.M. Best  and
W. Bonfield
D.J. Stokes
Affiliation:
Polymers & Colloids Group, University of Cambridge, Department of Physics, Cavendish Laboratory, Madingley Road, Cambridge, CB3 OHE, UK
S.M. Rea
Affiliation:
Department of Materials Science & Metallurgy, University of Cambridge, Pembroke Street, Cambridge, CB2 3QZ, UK
A.E. Porter
Affiliation:
Department of Materials Science & Metallurgy, University of Cambridge, Pembroke Street, Cambridge, CB2 3QZ, UK
S.M. Best
Affiliation:
Department of Materials Science & Metallurgy, University of Cambridge, Pembroke Street, Cambridge, CB2 3QZ, UK
W. Bonfield
Affiliation:
Department of Materials Science & Metallurgy, University of Cambridge, Pembroke Street, Cambridge, CB2 3QZ, UK
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Abstract

The ability of ESEM to image insulating and/or moist specimens without the need for the removal of volatile components or the application of a conductive coating has significantly increased the potential range of experiments and observations that can be performed at the high resolution of electron microscopy. Such a technological advance has particularly important implications for the study of soft matter, complex fluids and biological specimens.

An important area of study to which ESEM can be readily applied is that of materials for biomedical applications. Hydroxyapatite (HA) ceramics and HA/polymer composites (e.g. HAPEX™) are being developed for use as synthetic scaffolds in bone tissue engineering. The bioactivity of these materials is dependent upon such factors as phase composition, chemical composition, surface activity, crystallinity and microstructure. Using ESEM it is possible to obtain surface-sensitive, specimen-dependent secondary electron images (in the absence of specimen coating), yielding potentially new perspectives on microstructure to complement information derived from other techniques.

Type
Advances in Imaging Techniques for Biomaterlals (Organized by S. Eppel)
Information
Microscopy and Microanalysis , Volume 7 , Issue S2: Proceedings: Microscopy & Microanalysis 2001, Microscopy Society of America 59th Annual Meeting, Microbeam Analysis Society 35th Annual Meeting, Long Beach, California August 5-9, 2001 , August 2001 , pp. 132 - 133
Copyright
Copyright © Microscopy Society of America 2001

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References

references

1.Stokes, D.J., et al., Direct Observations of Water/Oil Emulsion Systems in the Liquid State by Environmental Scanning Electron Microscopy. Langmuir, 1998. 14(16): p. 4402–4408.Google Scholar
2.Hing, K.A., et al., Quantification of Bone Ingrowth Within Bone-Derived Porous Hydroxyapatite Implants of Varying Density. Journal of Materials Science: Materials in Medicine, 1999. 10: p. 663–670.Google Scholar
3.Di Silvio, L., et al., In Vitro Response of Osteoblasts to Hydroxyapatite-Reinforced Polyethylene Composites. Journal of Materials Science: Materials in Medicine, 1998. 9: p. 845–848.Google Scholar
4. Funding of a Marshall Scholarship for SMR, an EPSRC Studentship for AEP and a Royal Society Warren Research Fund Dorothy Hodgkin Research Fellowship for DJS are gratefully acknowledged. Members of the Orthopaedic Research Unit, Addenbrookes Hospital, Cambridge are thanked for their assistance.Google Scholar