抄録
Materials used as functional thin films include zeolites, organic polymers, and metal-organic frameworks (MOF), but almost all of these are susceptible to damage by electron beam irradiation. Consequently in comparison to metals or ceramics, using an electron microscope to observe the microstructures of functional films requires substantial effort. In addition, in order to take full advantage of the capabilities of electron microscopes, further technological breakthroughs are needed. On the other hand, the invention of aberration correcting devices has greatly increased the spatial resolution of electron microscopes, and in recent years such functionality has seen rapid improvements. These analysis techniques are thus increasingly useful for carrying out basic research and application development in the field of membrane technology. Based on this, in order to support positively an active environment for research into functional membranes using electron microscopy, which excels in local microstructure analysis, one of the primary conditions is that researchers from many areas of membrane research recognize the need to use electron microscopy. In this study, we plan to use examples of characterization of the most recent zeolite membranes and organic membranes to demonstrate the possibilities of using electron microscopy techniques to characterize the microstructures of functional thin films.
