Get ready to Name That Sample! Congratulations again to Dave who won Week 5 with his guess of polymer microbeads. We are giving away another Brand New Netbook to the person who guess the right answer to whats under our Scanning Electron Microscope SEM. Remember to leave all your guesses below. This contest will end July 31. Good Luck!
This scan was done with ASPEX’s electron microscopy services
Reports were made using ASPEX’s Personal Image Print (PIP™)
Sample was analyzed with ASPEX’s PSEM Explorer
Secondary electron detector (SED) images were collected under High Vacuum conditions and 20 KeV beam energy
Putting all of the “Naming of Samples” and crazy specimens aside, Scanning Electron Microscopes are used for a wide array of important and sometimes life-saving situations. ASPEX was recently confronted with a situation in which a reader sent in skin which was thought to have fibers within it.
After having months of discomfort, the reader went to three dermatologists and a physician whom all sent her home with various prescriptions for creams, pills and specialty soaps. Discouraged and determined, the reader sought out ASPEX’s free scan offer to possibly reveal some answers. It turns out that after the scans were completed, there were carbonic fibers located in the deep within the skin. These fibers were mostly made up of carbon with small amounts of silicon, aluminum and sulfur. The reader was then able to take the appropriate steps in order to get doctors to diagnose this problem before it proceeded to get worse.
Keep in mind that there are situations like this that happen everyday and that SEMs can be used for more than just knowing what a used tissue looks like up close. Look for more ASPEX success stories like this on our blog in the future posts. Our Elemental Analysis is below:
Welcome to another installment of Name That Sample! We have seen such a great response from previous weeks that we are going to give away another Brand New Netbook. Lets see how you all do guessing whats under our Scanning Electron Microscopes.
Update: July 15,2010: WE HAVE A WINNER! This week was quite a tough challenge. The correct answer is fly ash, which is a residue from the combustion of coal. The person who came the closest to the answer was David with the guess of polymer microbeads. Congratulations David! You will be notified about your Brand New Netbook! Keep an eye out for next week’s Name That Sample!
The winner will be contacted via email.
The contest will be open for the next 2 weeks. Best of luck.
This scan was done by using our SEM EDX Analysis.
System Configuration
Product: PSEM® eXpress
Operating Parameters: VP–BSED Detector,
Accelerating Voltage 20.0 kV,
Working Distance 14.4 mm
Reporting Software: Personal Image Print™
John Nance sent in two samples to be scanned by ASPEX’s elemental analyzer PSEM eXplorer.
A Ecphora Shell is actually a subspecies of a ferocious predator sea snail which is now an extinct member of rock snail family, Muricidae. Pretty cool stuff.
Included in this sample were fish scales. Don’t they look like grains of rice under our scanning electron microscopes?
Manual image analysis was performed on the sent samples and the customer had requested to provide images of the above scans. Reports were prepared using ASPEX Personal Image Print II (PIPTM).
Secondary electron detector (SED) images were collected under high vacuum conditions and 20 KeV. The sample was gold coated to eliminate sample charging.
Like what you see? Check out the rest of our Personal SEM Image Gallery.
Jim Lehane from the University of Utah sent in minerals to ASPEX to be scanned under our Scanning Electron Microscopes. The scans shown below are magnified up to 1000x!
The customer had requested that ASPEX provide an elemental analysis, so reports were prepared using ASPEX Personal Image Print II (PIPTM).
Secondary electron detector (SED) images were collected under high vacuum conditions and 20 KeV.
Like what you see? Check out the rest of our Personal SEM Image Gallery.
Not only limited to studying science, Scanning Electron Microscopes can be used by geologists to get a really up close look of their fossils and other minerals. The use of SEMs in different industries like this has recently become an increasing trend due to the always emerging technology and the drive to always pursue more information.
Miichael Popp has sent ASPEX two fossils to be scanned by ASPEX’s elemental analyzer PSEM eXplorer. The lighter samples are Fluroite, a mineral which is used in the production of stainless steel and refrigerants. The darker scans are Cornulites which are commonly referred to as “worm tubes.”
The customer had requested that ASPEX provide images, so reports were prepared using ASPEX Personal Image Print II (PIPTM).
Backscatter electron detector (BSED) images were collected using Variable Pressure Conditions (.15Torr) and 20 KeV.
Like what you see? Check out the rest of our Personal SEM Image Gallery.
Not what you first expected eh?
Its hard to imagine that something this soft looks like a hard pieces of string under ASPEX’s Scanning Electron Microscopes .
The scan was done by using our sem edx analysis and the reports were prepared by using ASPEX Personal Image Print II (PIPTM).
Secondary electron detector (SED) images were collected under high vacuum conditions and 20 KeV. The sample was gold coated to eliminate sample charging.
Like what you see? Check out the rest of our Personal SEM Image Gallery.
Great guesses last week! Again, congratulations to Bryan for guessing Halls cough drops.
Our prizes are getting bigger and this time we are giving away a Brand New Apple iPod Touch!
Since the stakes are higher, this week’s sample is a bit harder than last week’s, so it’s important to be as specific as possible in your guesses.
Comment below with what you think is under our Scanning Electron Microscope.
Update: June 4, 2010 WE HAVE A WINNER! Congratulations to Bryan who guessed the correct answer, Solder Bumps. Clearly he has a gift for guessing images by scanning electron microscopes. He will be receiving his brand new iPod Touch shortly. Don’t worry, we will be giving away another brand new Netbook for week 5 of Name That Sample! Stay tuned.
The winner will be contacted via email.
The contest will be open for the next 2 weeks.
This scan was done by using our SEM EDX Analysis.
System Configuration
Product: PSEM® eXpress
Operating Parameters: VP–BSED Detector,
Accelerating Voltage 20.0 kV,
Working Distance 14.4 mm
Reporting Software: Personal Image Print™
Aaron Saenz of Singularity Hub sent a plastic robot arm to ASPEX Corporation for image analysis using the ASPEX’s Scanning Electron Microscopes.
ASPEX manually analyzed the sample with the PSEM eXplorer.
Saenz had requested to provide images of the plastic robot arm, so reports were prepared using ASPEX Personal Image Print II (PIPTM).
Backscatter electron detector (BSED) images were collected.
The image on the left was taken under variable pressure at .35 torr.
The image on the right was taken under high vacuum after the sample was gold coated to eliminate charging.
To enjoy more PSEM images, browse through the rest of our Personal SEM Image Gallery.
Wasps aren’t exactly cuddly creatures, but you’d never know that looking under our Scanning Electron Microscopes.
With its fur and eye magnified, the wasp Aaron Thompson from Nanjing International School submitted to ASPEX may make you reconsider your traditional feelings toward wasps.
ASPEX Corporation performed a manual image analysis of a wasp using the ASPEX Personal SEM eXplorer.
The customer had requested that ASPEX provide images, so reports were prepared using ASPEX Personal Image Print II (PIPTM).
Secondary electron detector (SED) images were collected under high vacuum conditions and 20 KeV. The sample was gold coated to eliminate sample charging.
Like what you see? Check out the rest of our Personal SEM Image Gallery.
