Conductive Carbon Adhesive Tabs, Electron Microscopy Sciences

Conductive Carbon Adhesive Tabs are used in scanning electron microscopy for mounting specimens. Tabs are available grades for minimizing interference with X-ray analysis.

• No gas out-gassing
• Conductive adhesive is carbon filled acrylic glue
• Solvent free
• Adhesive can be removed by ethyl acetate, ethanol, isopropyl alcohol or alcohols
• Service temperature is up to 60 °C (140 °F)

Standard Carbon Conductive Adhesive Tabs – Tabs are formed by two sides of thick conductive adhesive (45 µm on each side) with the centre conductive core film (35 µm). With the total thickness of 125 µm, these tabs will offer reasonably firm, smooth surfaces for a variety of SEM applications, including gunshot residue analysis. Tabs are protected by white liners, which do not have to be removed when samples are ready to be mounted. Tabs contain some traces of Si, Sb, S, Fe, Mg, Na.

Thick Carbon Conductive Tabs or Image Tabs – The stiff and smooth surface conductive tabs are 260 µm thick, including 200 µm thick conductive carbonate base, coated 30 µm thick on each side with conductive adhesive. However, these tabs are not as conductive and sticky as the Standard Carbon Conductive Tabs. Thick Carbon Conductive Tabs are used for photographic background as well as for Jet Scan applications, where the tabs must be removed and filed away.

Ultra-Thin Carbon Conductive Adhesive Tabs – These tabs have Core material which is nonconductive cloth (70 µm) with Carbon Filler Conductive Adhesive (2×45 µm). Total thickness is 160 µm.

Spectro Grade Carbon Adhesive Tabs – High purity conductive carbons for less interference signals, such as X-Ray analysis.

Ultra-Smooth Carbon Adhesive Tabs – Carbon adhesive tabs that eliminate issues with rough surfaces, insufficient tackiness, and hardness with significantly lower contaminant levels under EDS. Tabs are made in USA and very popular, and may be used in place of other conductive adhesive in many applications in conventional and field emission microscopes. They are also widely used in forensic laboratories for study of gunshots residues. Without the addition of conductive coating, small nonconductive particles can often be imaged and X-Ray analyzed, cutting down your analysis time. These tabs are composed of a thin film of strong adhesive approximately ½" diameter. Over 99% transparent to EDS, with a very small amount of nickel (0.6%) and copper (<0.3%).

Caution: Refrigeration will increase shelf life, but tabs need to be warmed up to room temperature before use (usually more than one hour).