I have used SEM before, but the results are not clear, and I have used an optical microscope ( Nikon Eclipse Lv100POL), but the light couldn't pass through. I am interested in impurities, voids, and pullouts.
Do you mean you want to observe a sample whose surface fluctuation can be up to 3mm? I think the common optical microscopy doesn't have such a depth of field. How about trying Ultra-Depth Three-Dimensional Microscope (such as Zeiss Smartzoom 5) or laser scanning confocal microscopy
Matata Sun: Thanks for your reply.
I am preparing a sample from natural fiber with polymer as in the photo attached above. The thickness of this sample (Dogbone ) is 3 mm. I am only interested in looking into impurities, voids, and pullout.
Amal Mlhem If what you want to look into (impurities etc.) is on the surface that we can see now, I think SEM should be OK. If your SEM images are not clear, I am thinking if it's due to the low conductivity of your polymer-matrix composites. You can coat a thin layer of Pt or C on it, it's the common method for the low-conductivity samples. You mentioned "the light couldn't pass through", so, I am wondering the defects you want to observe exist inside of your sample, not on the surface? If you want to look into the interior defects, SEM can't work, I think maybe you need to grind to remove your surface.
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