ABSTRACT
This chapter presents the range of both qualitative and quantitative analytical techniques associated with transmission Electron Energy Loss Spectroscopy (EELS). These include methods for determining a large array of solid-state properties, including the distribution of light elements, the sample thickness, the crystallographic structure, the bonding characteristics and the electronic structure. The use of EELS in the environment of the Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) allows these techniques to be conducted at high spatial resolution and provide some measure of the physical, chemical and microstructural properties of the material under investigation. Although the electron spectroscopic techniques have been described principally from the standpoint of the physical sciences, it is clear that the techniques have considerable potential in both the geological sciences and life sciences, particularly in the interface of the latter with the physical sciences.
