Brian J. Bierman is a senior research scientist at McCrone Associates Inc. (Westmont, IL). For more information, call (630) 887-7100, e-mail [email protected] or visit www.mccroneassociates.com.
The newest generation of scanning electron microscopes (SEM) utilizing energy dispersive X-ray spectrometers (EDS) include computer automation that allows for rapid elemental analyses of small particles or inclusions. Automated analysis yields chemical and morphological information on large numbers of particles or inclusions, which can be used to identify specific populations of materials present within a sample. Automated SEM analysis eliminates operator subjectivity inherent in time-intensive manual SEM or optical characterization techniques.