Shape distribution measurement of Sub-10nm nanoparticles by image processing from TEM images

Abstract

In recent years, TEM (transmission electron microscope) has been used to measure the size distribution of nanoparticles in nanotechnology research and development. However, for nanoparticles with a diameter of 10 nm or less, the contrast of the TEM signal is low, and the measurement results change when the measurement parameters are changed. In this study, we propose a method to analyze the TEM measurement results. Determine the best variable based on the values of multiple measured variables. In this method, the evaluation amount is calculated by weighting the frequency of each particle size in each measurement result. Then, the results are classified based on the evaluation amount, evaluation criteria that are even functions are obtained, and optimum measurement conditions are determined. This method enables highly accurate measurements and greatly reduces the measurement time compared to measurements using open software called ImageJ, which conventionally required manual work