Importance of Transmission Electron Microscopy for Carbon Nanomaterials Research

Importance of transmission electron microscopy (TEM) in the carbon nanomaterials research is discussed. Carbon, is perhaps, the only element which has an infinite number of allotropes. Some of them can appear very similar. For example, carbon nanofibers and multiwalled carbon nanotubes looks similar when observed with scanning electron microscopy. It is almost impossible to distinguish between carbon nanofibers and multiwalled carbon nanotubes unless and until one observes such materials by TEM. Former is a solid filled 1D nanostructure while the later being hollow concentric 1D nano-tubules. TEM gives direct insight in to the nanostructure of carbon materials. Absence of TEM observations can lead to wrong conclusion in case of carbon nanomaterials. It is the most important and most reliable technique for correctly identifying the nature and the form of carbon nanomaterials in academic research and in industry. In addition, it provides lots of other valuable information which is discussed in detail by giving suitable examples.