ABSTRACT
Nanomaterials have shown excellent physical, chemical, and biological properties. Nanomaterials and nanoparticles are synthesized by using different kinds of elements. It is important to investigate their morphological features, crystalline structure, and chemical nature in order to obtain the required properties. Nanomaterials contains tiny particles known as nanoparticles, and they required special instrumentations and tools for their successful characterization and analysis. In this chapter, we will briefly elaborate structural characterization of materials under the topics of tools, machines, processes, methods, and examples of characterization. The tools and techniques that are often used for the characterization of nanomaterials and nanoparticles are scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectroscopy. The description of each characterization tool is provided with the help of graphics, digital photos, and examples in a separate section. Since sample preparation is the key process for each structural characterization tool, sample preparation for each instrument is also provided in detail.
