Concept and demonstration of a low-cost compact electron microscope enabled by a photothermionic carbon nanotube cathode

Casimir Kuzyk, Alexander Dimitrakopoulos and Alireza Nojeh ()
Additional contact information
Casimir Kuzyk: The University of British Columbia
Alexander Dimitrakopoulos: The University of British Columbia
Alireza Nojeh: The University of British Columbia

Nature Communications, 2025, vol. 16, issue 1, 1-10

Abstract: Abstract The scanning electron microscope (SEM) delivers high resolution, high depth of field, and an image quality as if microscopic objects are seen by the naked eye. This makes it not only a powerful scientific instrument, but a tool inherently applicable to nearly all fields of study and curiosity involving the small scale. However, SEMs have remained complex, expensive, and beyond the reach of many. To broaden access, we demonstrate an SEM using simple, low-cost, off-the-shelf components, and hobby-level electromechanics; this has been enabled by a thermionic electron source based on a carbon nanotube array excited by low optical power. The instrument offers sub-micrometer resolution, a depth of field of the order of a hundred micrometers, and an image quality comparable to commercial SEMs; it also tolerates poor vacuum and moist specimens, making it broadly applicable. It has a flexible design that lends itself to customization for different use scenarios. We describe the conceptual approach and high-level design in this paper; the detailed blueprints of our specific implementation are provided separately online. We hope that specialists and non-specialists alike will build variations that fit their own needs and interests, helping electron microscopy expand further into industry and society.

Date: 2025
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-63413-2 Abstract (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:nat:natcom:v:16:y:2025:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-025-63413-2

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
https://www.nature.com/ncomms/

DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-63413-2

Access Statistics for this article

Nature Communications is currently edited by Nathalie Le Bot, Enda Bergin and Fiona Gillespie

More articles in Nature Communications from Nature
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Sonal Shukla () and Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing ().