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Conductive cross-section preparation of non-conductive painting micro-samples for SEM analysis

Publikace na Přírodovědecká fakulta |
2022

Tento text není v aktuálním jazyce dostupný. Zobrazuje se verze "en".Abstrakt

Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) is a common method for the analysis of painting micro-samples. The high resolution of this technique offers precise surface analysis and can be coupled with an energy-dispersive spectrometer for the acquisition of the elemental composition.

For light microscopy and SEM analysis, the painting micro-samples are commonly prepared as cross-sections, where the micro-sample positioned on the side is embedded in a resin. Therefore, the sequence of its layers is exposed after the cross-section is polished.

In common cases outside of cultural heritage, a conductive layer is applied on the polished side, but in this field, the measurements are mostly done in low-vacuum SEM (LV-SEM). Although the charging effect is reduced in LV-SEM, it can still occur, and can hardly be prevented even with carbon tape or paint.

This work presents two conductive cross-section preparation methods for non-conductive samples, which reduce charging effects without impairing the sample integrity.