The applications for microscopy in materials science research are just as vast and include the use of optical microscopes, such as the Olympus BX Series, electron, and scanning probe microscopes and diffraction techniques to study structural details, ranging from the nano and molecular level all the way up to the macroscopic level. The details revealed by microscopy help material researchers understand properties such as mechanical strength, electrical conductivity, and refractive index.  Materials science and engineering also focus on new ways to create and process materials for a wide range of uses that can include such techniques as material deposition, plasma etching, laser ablation, and recrystallization. The exploding demand for new materials and new uses of existing materials in electronics, communications, and computers has accelerated the need for the thorough study of material structure, composition, and properties. As a result, Olympus Micro-Imaging offers a wide range of microscopes and accessories, including the BX Series coupled with our Discover image analysis software, for observing surfaces and analyzing materials and the elements that compose them.

For remarkably high resolution 3D observation and measurement, our LEXT OLS3000 laser confocal scanning microscope is the perfect answer, featuring easy operation, fast performance, and no sample preparation. The new LEXT OLS3000 IR is ideally suited for subsurface observation of polymers and films.

 IR image of LCD diffusion film

 Polymer viewed through LEXT OLS3000 IR

You will find almost all of the common imaging techniques used in materials science, but one of the most widespread is the use of polarized light.

For example, polarization has been the cornerstone of microscopic geology since it’s beginning.  The lessons learned about determining such quantitative measures as refractive index are directly applicable to many areas in materials science.  The use of polarized light is a quantitative technique and furthers the discovery and identification of materials in the lab or in production.  Polarized light is even important for many low magnification investigations, for which the Olympus SZX series is ideally suited.

 The use of microscopes for materials research is particularly important in today’s emerging world of nanotechnology where the morphology of newly invented materials can easily reach submicron level details.  For this type of imaging the fast and simple use of microscope optics with an upright scope, such as the Olympus BX 51, or an inverted microscope, such as one of our GX Series, is a mainstay.

 Whatever the optical configuration chosen, all material researchers must have a Brightfield and Darkfield microscope.  The brightfield capability is the purest imaging method and provides the submicron information required. Darkfield, on the other hand, provides an excellent method for finding large events that may have no color or little feature characteristic when compared to the surrounding area.

 For topographic imaging, the use of Differential Interference Contrast (DIC) is crucial.  The DIC technique allows for a high resolution (similar to brightfield) technique that provides height information.  When all three of these techniques are combined with digital imaging tools, such as Olympus DP series of digital cameras and Discover image analysis software, the material researcher has a powerful, integrated, easy-to-use micro-imaging system.

Typical applications are found in materials science, nano-structures, photonics, ceramics, advanced materials, composite material, powders, measuring material properties, polymer technology, characterization, glass, polyelectrolytes, colloids, and molecular arrangements.  Procedures are those  typically using optical microscopy transmission electron microscopy (TEM), or scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to perform grain analysis, phase analysis, refractive index, and inclusion analysis.