Abstract

Unconvential electron microscopy refers to obtaining information beyond the normally accepted limitations of the microscope. One such example presented here is energy loss spectroscopic profiling, which allows sub-nanometre sampling resolution for the spectral information across linear features from a conventional instrument. Two illustrations will be presented: the dielectric nature of coatings on carbon nanotubes and the electronic properties of amorphous carbon superlattices. The other unconventional microscopy example shows how beam irradiation in the electron microscope can be exploited to extract essential information about the growth process of carbon nanotubes from catalysts. We observe a controlled growth reversal in the electron microscope; by studying the energetics of this process, we conclude that growth occurs via a surface-driven mechanism.