Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

X-ray Imaging

X-ray Imaging

German physicist Wilhelm Röntgen (1845–1923) was experimenting with electrical current when he discovered that a mysterious and invisible "ray" would pass through his flesh but leave an outline of his bones on a screen coated with a metal compound. In 1895, Röntgen made the first durable record of the internal parts of a living human: an "X-ray" image (as it came to be called) of his wife’s hand. Scientists worldwide quickly began their own experiments with X-rays, and by 1900, X-ray was widely...

Transmission Electron Microscopy

Transmission Electron Microscopy

In 1931, physicist Ernst Ruska—building on the idea that magnetic fields can direct an electron beam just as lenses can direct a beam of light in an optical microscope—developed the first prototype of the electron microscope. This development led to the development of the field of electron microscopy. In the transmission electron microscope (TEM), electrons are produced by a hot tungsten element and accelerated by a potential difference in an electron gun, which gives them up to 400 keV in...

Overview of Microscopy Techniques

Overview of Microscopy Techniques

The early pioneers of microscopy opened a window into the invisible world of microorganisms. In 1830, Joseph Jackson Lister created an essentially modern light microscope. The 20th century saw the development of microscopes that leveraged nonvisible light, such as fluorescence microscopy that uses an ultraviolet light source and electron microscopy that uses short-wavelength electron beams. These advances significantly improved magnification, image resolution, and contrast. By comparison, the...

Imaging Biological Samples with Optical Microscopy

Imaging Biological Samples with Optical Microscopy

Optical microscopy uses optic principles to provide detailed images of samples. Antonie van Leeuwenhoek designed the first compound optical microscope in the 17th century to visualize blood cells, bacteria, and yeast cells. In 1830, Joseph Jackson Lister created an essentially modern light microscope. The 20th century saw the development of microscopes with enhanced magnification and resolution.
In optical microscopy, the specimen to be viewed is placed on a glass slide and clipped on the stage...

Overview of Electron Microscopy

Overview of Electron Microscopy

The wavelengths of visible light ultimately limit the maximum theoretical resolution of images created by light microscopes. Most light microscopes can only magnify 1000X, and a few can magnify up to 1500X. Electrons, like electromagnetic radiation, can behave like waves, but with wavelengths of 0.005 nm, they produce significantly greater resolution up to 0.05 nm as compared to 500 nm for visible light. An electron microscope (EM) can create a sharp image that is magnified up to 2,000,000X.

Scanning Electron Microscopy

Scanning Electron Microscopy

A scanning electron microscope (SEM) is used to study the surface features of a sample by using an electron beam that scans the sample surface in a two-dimensional manner. Typically, areas between ~1 centimeter to 5 micrometers in width can be imaged. SEM can be used to image bacteria, viruses, tissues as well as larger samples like insects. Conventional SEM gives a magnification ranging from 20X to 30,000X and spatial resolution of 50 to 100 nanometers.
Fundamental Principles
Accelerated...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

The effect of transverse wavefront width on specular neutron reflection.

Journal of applied crystallography·2022

Same author

Quantitative Disorder Analysis and Particle Removal Efficiency of Polypropylene-Based Masks.

MRS advances·2021

Same author

Oncogenic Ras differentially regulates metabolism and anoikis in extracellular matrix-detached cells.

Cell death and differentiation·2016

Same author

Giant reduction of InN surface electron accumulation: compensation of surface donors by Mg dopants.

Physical review letters·2013

Same author

X-ray pump optical probe cross-correlation study of GaAs.

Nature photonics·2012

Same author

X-ray photoemission spectroscopy of environmental particles.

Environmental science & technology·2012

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 6, 2026

$Synchrotron X-ray Microdiffraction and Fluorescence Imaging of Mineral and Rock Samples$

Synchrotron X-ray Microdiffraction and Fluorescence Imaging of Mineral and Rock Samples

Published on: June 19, 2018

Fast imaging of hard x rays with a laboratory microscope.

A S Bakulin¹, S M Durbin, T Jach

¹Department of Physics, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907-1396, USA.

|March 20, 2008

Summary

A new laboratory X-ray microscope offers enhanced microstructural analysis using a CCD detector and Kirkpatrick-Baez mirrors. This system achieves 4-micrometer resolution with hard X-rays, enabling detailed material investigations.

More Related Videos

High Spatial Resolution Chemical Imaging of Implant-Associated Infections with X-ray Excited Luminescence Chemical Imaging Through Tissue

High Spatial Resolution Chemical Imaging of Implant-Associated Infections with X-ray Excited Luminescence Chemical Imaging Through Tissue

Published on: September 30, 2022

Preparing Adherent Cells for X-ray Fluorescence Imaging by Chemical Fixation

Preparing Adherent Cells for X-ray Fluorescence Imaging by Chemical Fixation

Published on: March 12, 2015

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jul 6, 2026

$Synchrotron X-ray Microdiffraction and Fluorescence Imaging of Mineral and Rock Samples$

Synchrotron X-ray Microdiffraction and Fluorescence Imaging of Mineral and Rock Samples

Published on: June 19, 2018

High Spatial Resolution Chemical Imaging of Implant-Associated Infections with X-ray Excited Luminescence Chemical Imaging Through Tissue

High Spatial Resolution Chemical Imaging of Implant-Associated Infections with X-ray Excited Luminescence Chemical Imaging Through Tissue

Published on: September 30, 2022

Preparing Adherent Cells for X-ray Fluorescence Imaging by Chemical Fixation

Preparing Adherent Cells for X-ray Fluorescence Imaging by Chemical Fixation

Published on: March 12, 2015

Area of Science:

Materials Science
X-ray Optics
Microscopy

Background:

Laboratory-based microstructural analysis is crucial for materials science.
High-resolution imaging with hard X-rays presents significant technical challenges.

Purpose of the Study:

To construct and evaluate an improved laboratory X-ray microscope.
To achieve high spatial resolution for microstructural investigations using hard X-rays.

Main Methods:

Construction of an X-ray microscope utilizing a fully electronic Charge-Coupled Device (CCD) detector system.
Implementation of the Kirkpatrick-Baez multilayer mirror design for X-ray focusing.
Testing with standard sealed-tube laboratory X-ray sources and a 5-micrometer gold grid sample.

Main Results:

Demonstrated spatial resolution of 4 micrometers at 8 keV (Cu K-alpha radiation).
Successful operation with standard laboratory X-ray sources.
Achieved digital images with exposure times as short as 20 seconds for a sample of two absorption lengths.

Conclusions:

The developed X-ray microscope provides an effective tool for laboratory-based microstructural investigations.
The system offers a practical solution for high-resolution imaging with hard X-rays in a laboratory setting.
The combination of CCD detection and Kirkpatrick-Baez optics enables efficient and detailed material characterization.