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Disordered Spheres with Extensive Overlap in Projection: Image Simulation and Analysis

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  07 November 2011

Christopher D. Chan ,
Michelle E. Seitz  and
Karen I. Winey
Christopher D. Chan
Affiliation:
Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104-6393, USA
Michelle E. Seitz
Affiliation:
Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104-6272, USA
Karen I. Winey*
Affiliation:
Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104-6393, USA Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104-6272, USA
*
Corresponding author. E-mail: winey@seas.upenn.edu
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Abstract

This article simulates highly overlapped projections of spherical particles that are distributed randomly in space. The size and number of the features in the projections are examined as well as how these features change with particle size and concentration. First, there are discernable features in projection even when particles overlap extensively, and the size of these discernable features is the expected size of an individual particle. Second, the number of features increases with specimen thickness at a rate of t0.543 when the specimen thickness is below a critical value and becomes independent of specimen thickness at higher thicknesses. A criterion is established for the critical thickness based on particle size and particle volume fraction. When the specimen thickness is known and smaller than the critical thickness, a single representative transmission electron microscopy (TEM) (or scanning TEM) image exhibiting extensive particle overlap can be used to determine the size and number density of the spherical particles.

Keywords

TEMprojectionimage simulationnanoparticlesnanocomposites
Type
Software and Techniques Development
Information
Microscopy and Microanalysis , Volume 17 , Issue 6 , December 2011 , pp. 872 - 878
Copyright
Copyright © Microscopy Society of America 2011

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