Applications

The lignocellulosic nanofibers, characterized by their ultrafine and intricately structured morphology, are uniformly coated with osmium, enabling the acquisition of clear, high-resolution SEM images without charging. Additionally, the automatic thickness adjustment function ensures reproducible coating.

Data provided by the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Chugoku Center, Materials and Chemistry Area, Functional Chemistry Research Department, Cellulose material group, Takashi Endo, Keita Sakakibara, Yasuko Saito

Osmium coating enables clear discrimination of silica nanoparticles at up to 150,000x by eliminating charging effects and providing superior coating compared to conventional gold sputtering, which often obscures the underlying silica particles due to the presence of gold coating.

Data provided by Nagoya University, Graduate School of Engineering, Advanced Physical Chemistry, Daisuke Kawaguchi

Data provided by Nagoya University, Technical Center, Shoji Takai

Freeze-dried Artemia larvae (Sea Monkey) are coated with sputter and osmium coating for SEM observation. Osmium coating provides a striking three-dimensional image, allowing for clear observation of the intricate tip structures of the antennae, which are obscured by charging artifacts in the sputter-coated sample.

Data provided by Kitasato University, School of Allied Health Sciences, Masaki Ueno

Gold sputtering requires approximately 3 minutes of coating to minimize charging, and this prolonged process often results in heat damage, causing shrinkage and a thick, uneven coating that can obscure fine surface details. In contrast, osmium coating produces a thin, uniform film in just 20 seconds, eliminating charging artifacts and enabling high-resolution imaging of the sample’s true morphology. At 6,000x, the difference in surface morphology between the two coating methods is evident.

Data provided by Okayama University, Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Department of Human Morphology

A 5nm osmium coating provides superior image quality for overlapping 800nm polystyrene particles compared to uncoated samples. The osmium coating effectively eliminates charging artifacts, allowing for clear observation of individual nanoparticles.

Data provided by Toyohashi University of Technology, Electronic Materials Course, Hiroyuki Muto

Our osmium coating systems provide excellent coating coverage, even on overlapping samples, effectively preventing charging and enabling high-contrast observation of the entire sample. On the other hand, gold sputtering often results in charging, particularly in overlapping areas due to poor coating. This limits the maximum magnification to around 2000x. However, osmium coating allows for high-resolution imaging even at 5000x, revealing fine details.

Data provided by Toyohashi University of Technology, Electronic Materials Course, Hiroyuki Muto

Even carbon nanotubes observable by SEM without deposition can benefit from osmium coating, which enhances their stability and enables high-resolution observation. The observation of uncoated carbon nanotubes can result in their diffusion and subsequent contamination of the SEM detector. However, osmium coating is resistant to electron beam, and prevents diffusion. It not only acts as an antistatic film but also prevents SEM detector contamination by inhibiting carbon nanotube diffusion.

Data provided by Meijo University, Faculty of Science and Technology Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Tomoko Suzuki (Former member of Ando Laboratory)

Conventional platinum sputtering often results in unclear observation of the porous structure of freeze-dried cakes, with limited depth of field and damage to the matrix due to the weight of the sputter particles. In contrast, osmium coating, with its thin and conformal nature, enables clear observation of the intricate matrix structure of freeze-dried cakes without causing damage.

Data provided by Tokyo University of Science, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Formulation Science, Yamashita Chikamasa

At 100,000x, osmium coating provides a smooth surface without any granular artifacts, allowing for clear observation of the true surface structure. In contrast, platinum coating results in a granular surface, obscuring the underlying structure. Osmium coating enables high-resolution imaging without the granular artifacts commonly associated with platinum coating. Additionally, the low applied voltage prevents heat damage to organic samples.

Data provided by Industrial Technology Research Institute (Taiwan)

Even at low magnification, the difference in surface quality between gold-sputtered and osmium-coated acetate samples is evident. Gold sputtering results in a metallic appearance and charging artifacts, while osmium coating preserves the original surface texture and allows for clear observation.

Conventional sputtering methods often result in poor coating coverage, making it difficult to obtain clear images of nanofibers. In contrast, osmium coating provides excellent coating, allowing for the observation of even the finest nanofibers without breakage.

Data provided by the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Bioproduction Research Institute, Seung-Hwan Lee