3D image reconstruction of fiber systems using electron tomography

Over the past several years, electron microscopists and materials researchers have shown increased interest in electron tomography (reconstruction of three-dimensional information from a tilt series of bright field images obtained in a transmission electron microscope (TEM)). In this research, electron tomography has been used to reconstruct a three-dimensional image for fiber structures from secondary electron images in a scanning electron microscope (SEM). The implementation of this technique is used to examine the structure of fiber system before and after deformation. A test sample of steel wool was tilted around a single axis from −10° to 60° by one-degree steps with images taken at every degree; three-dimensional images were reconstructed for the specimen of fine steel fibers. This method is capable of reconstructing the three-dimensional morphology of this type of lineal structure, and to obtain features such as tortuosity, contact points, and linear density that are of importance in defining the mechanical properties of these materials.