In situ scanning electron microscopy

Electron microscopy has been an important technique for the advancement of materials and joining science allowing studies from the macro‐ to the atomic scale. Such studies are normally performed ex situ, i.e. the material is analysed before and after it has been submitted to an external condition such as welding, deformation and/or heat treatment. Nevertheless, researchers have always looked for experimental approaches to study dynamic processes in real time, i.e. in situ. In the last few decades, advances in electron microscopy have made possible the implementation of in situ experiments that mimic production and service conditions within both transmission electron microscopes (TEM) and scanning electron microscopes (SEM), depending on the scale, material and phenomenon of interest. In the study presented here, the advantages and challenges associated with in situ SEM experiments are discussed with particular focus on structural materials. An introduction to SEM and in situ experiments, their features, limitations, challenges, and the associated instrumentation is given, followed by a review of relevant research work in this field.