Characterisation of precipitation of niobium carbide using carbon extraction replicas and thin foils by FESEM

Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) was used to analyse small particles ( < 50 nm) in ferrite. Analysis of bulk specimens must be carried out at low voltages to preserve volume resolution, resulting in very weak signals. However, thin foils and carbon extraction replicas could be analysed with FESEM using relatively high voltages, because the interaction volume effect is no longer a problem.