Why can't electron microscopes replace optical microscopes
The electron microscope uses the principle of electron optics, using electron beams and lenses instead of light beams and optical lenses, to image the fine structures of matter at very high magnifications. Although its resolution is far superior to that of optical microscopes, electron microscopes are difficult to observe living organisms due to their need to work under vacuum conditions, and electron beam irradiation can also cause radiation damage to biological samples. Therefore, they cannot completely replace optical microscopes, and their cost and suitable working range are also different. I hope my answer can be helpful to you.
The reasons why electron microscopes cannot completely replace optical microscopes are as follows:
one
Electron microscopy is an optical microscope that adds accessories such as CCD, display screen, or computer. It can only be called a video microscope, and throughout the imaging process, CCD replaces the human eye. Because in video imaging, electronic amplification belongs to virtual amplification, and in terms of pixels, photosensitivity, and other factors, it differs too much from the human eye, so it differs too much from the visual microscope effect;
2. Another important reason is that CCD belongs to planar imaging, and the human eye, especially under binocular observation, produces a strong sense of stereoscopy, which is the reason for the excessive depth of field effect between the two;
3. Electron microscopes are mostly referred to as scanning electron microscopes, which have much better effects than general optical microscopes. However, due to their high cost, they are rarely used in industry.
