Soft X-ray spectromicroscopy of biological and synthetic polymer systems

Scanning transmission X-ray microscopy (STXM) and X-ray photoemission electron microscopy (X-PEEM) are synchrotron based, soft X-ray spectromicroscopy techniques, which provide chemical speciation at better than 50 nm spatial resolution based on near edge X-ray absorption spectral (NEXAFS) contrast. The instrumentation and acquisition protocols for these microscopies are described. Methods for converting image sequences to quantitative maps of chemical components are outlined and illustrated with applications to characterization of wet biofilms, optimization of the microstructure of synthetic polymers, and studies of protein interactions with patterned polymer surfaces.