Backscattered electron imaging for reduced charging of moisturized corn starch granules: Implications for versatile imagery of hygroscopic powder specimens

Charging artifacts and surface features of corn starch granules were investigated by scanning electron microscopy. Three types of industrial waxy corn starch granules with different levels of moisture content (0, 10.3, and 24.2%) were prepared and subjected to both secondary electron imaging and backscattered electron imaging. There were no significant charging artifacts in secondary electron images at 3 or 5 kV. However, imaging at higher magnifications and accelerating voltages much lower than 3 kV ranging from 0.1 to 1 kV did not show well-resolved structures. At higher accelerating voltages than 5 kV, charging was manifested as excessive brightness at specific areas and alteration of bright and dark lines in the direction of the raster pattern in secondary electron images of all the types of specimens tested. As the accelerating voltage increased up to 30 kV in secondary electron images, the charging also increased. Meanwhile, no charging was detected in all the backscattered electron images taken at different accelerating voltages. As the accelerating voltage increased in backscattered electron images, the resolution increased with less depth of focus. Consistent results were found in all the types of corn starch granules assayed in this study. These results suggest that a simple and rapid morphological analysis of moisturized starches can be performed by backscattered electron imaging without considerable heat drying of starches. Concomitantly, it allows for imposing a higher accelerating voltage to ensure better image resolution, facilitating morphological characterization of diverse starch granules as they are in native states.