scholarly journals The Role of Electron Microscopy in Materials Science

1982 ◽  
Vol 35 (6) ◽  
pp. 727 ◽  
Author(s):  
PB Hirsch

The properties of the materials in a component or a device depend on structure and composition often on a scale of 10-10 to 10-6 m. Electron microscopy and microanalytical techniques provide a powerful means for determining the structure and composition on the appropriate scale, lead to an understanding of basic mechanisms, and by correlation or in situ experiments to explanations of bulk properties. Examples are given of the application of a variety of powerful electron optical techniques to a number of materials problems.

Author(s):  
M.A. O’Keefe ◽  
J. Taylor ◽  
D. Owen ◽  
B. Crowley ◽  
K.H. Westmacott ◽  
...  

Remote on-line electron microscopy is rapidly becoming more available as improvements continue to be developed in the software and hardware of interfaces and networks. Scanning electron microscopes have been driven remotely across both wide and local area networks. Initial implementations with transmission electron microscopes have targeted unique facilities like an advanced analytical electron microscope, a biological 3-D IVEM and a HVEM capable of in situ materials science applications. As implementations of on-line transmission electron microscopy become more widespread, it is essential that suitable standards be developed and followed. Two such standards have been proposed for a high-level protocol language for on-line access, and we have proposed a rational graphical user interface. The user interface we present here is based on experience gained with a full-function materials science application providing users of the National Center for Electron Microscopy with remote on-line access to a 1.5MeV Kratos EM-1500 in situ high-voltage transmission electron microscope via existing wide area networks. We have developed and implemented, and are continuing to refine, a set of tools, protocols, and interfaces to run the Kratos EM-1500 on-line for collaborative research. Computer tools for capturing and manipulating real-time video signals are integrated into a standardized user interface that may be used for remote access to any transmission electron microscope equipped with a suitable control computer.


2020 ◽  
Vol 326 ◽  
pp. 01007
Author(s):  
Shravan K. Kairy ◽  
Nick Birbilis

The localised corrosion associated with Mg2Si in the Al-matrix of an Al-Mg-Si alloy was studied in 0.1 M NaCl at pH 6 by quasi in-situ transmission electron microscopy. Herein, physical imaging of corrosion at the atomic to nanometre scale was performed. Phase transformation and subsequent chemical composition variations associated with the localised corrosion of Mg2Si were studied. It was observed that corrosion initiated upon Mg2Si, often preferentially at the interface with the Al-matrix, and propagated until Mg2Si was completely dealloyed by Mg-dissolution, resulting in an amorphous SiO-rich phase remnant. The SiO-rich remnant became electrochemically inert and did not initiate corrosion in the Al-matrix. This study provides a clear understanding on the localised corrosion of Al-alloys associated with Mg2Si. In addition, the methodology followed in this study can also be applied to understand the role of precipitates and second phase particles in the localised corrosion of Al-alloy systems.


Author(s):  
Edward G. Fey

In the past few years, considerable advances have been made regarding the structure and function of the nuclear matrix. In the first half of this presentation, the field of nuclear matrix research will be summarized. Emphasis will be placed on those studies where molecular interactions are demonstrated in situ utilizing high resolution light and/or electron microscopy. Studies demonstrating the role of the nuclear matrix in DNA synthesis and replication, RNA transcription and processing, and the binding of matrix attachment regions to specific nuclear matrix proteins will be summarized.


Author(s):  
S.Y. Zhang ◽  
J.M. Cowley

The combination of high resolution electron microscopy (HREM) and nanodiffraction techniques provided a powerful means for characterizing many of the interface structures which are of fundamental importance in materials science. In this work the interface structure between magnesium oxide and aluminum has been examined by HREM (with JEM-200CX) and nanodiffraction (with HB-5). The interfaces were formed by evaporating Al on freshly prepared cubic MgO smoke crystals under various vacuum conditions, at 10 -4, 10-5 10-6 and 10-7 torr. The Al layers on the MgO (001) surface are about 100Å thick. TEM observations were performed with the incident beam along the MgO [100] direction so that the interface could be revealed clearly. The nanodiffraction patterns were obtained with the electron beam of 15Å diameter parallel to the interface.


Author(s):  
H. Saka

An in-situ experiment in an electron microscope is now a well established and useful technique in materials science. In this review recent contributions of in-situ experiments, especially of straining and heating experiments, to materials science will be high-lighted.The earlier works have been reviewed by Saka and Imura.It is believed that an external stress gives rise to an anistropy in the rate at which point defects are absorbed by edge dislocations; this mechanism is considered to explain the irradiation creep. A combined in situ tensile/irradiation experiment in a HVEM has been carried out to study effects of applied stress on the growth of dislocation loops. Fig. 1 shows typical microstructures of Ag irradiated at 403K for 10 min with 1MV electrons in the absence (a), and in the presence of an external stress of 5.5 kg/mm2 (b). Frank loops of interstial type, formed by electron irradiation, grew more rapidly in the direction of the external tensile stress than in the others. These results show that an external tensile stress has a profound effect on climb rates of Frank loops of interstitial type. However, detailed analysis of the results indicates that there is a considerable discrepancy between experiment and theory.


2010 ◽  
Vol 7 (8) ◽  
pp. 2419-2432 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. Amaro ◽  
S. Bianchelli ◽  
D. S. M. Billett ◽  
M. R. Cunha ◽  
A. Pusceddu ◽  
...  

Abstract. Megafaunal organisms play a key role in ecosystem functioning in the deep-sea through bioturbation, bioirrigation and organic matter cycling. At 3500 m water depth in the Nazaré Canyon, NE Atlantic, very high abundances of the infaunal holothurian Molpadia musculus were observed. To quantify the role of M. musculus in sediment cycling, sediment samples and holothurians were collected using an ROV and in situ experiments were conducted with incubation chambers. The biochemical composition of the sediment (in terms of proteins, carbohydrates and lipids), the holothurians' gut contents and holothurians' faecal material were analysed. In the sediments, proteins were the dominant organic compound, followed by carbohydrates and lipids. In the holothurian's gut contents, protein concentrations were higher than the other compounds, decreasing significantly as the material passed through the digestive tract. Approximately 33±1% of the proteins were digested by the time sediment reached the mid gut, with a total digestion rate equal to 67±1%. Carbohydrates and lipids were ingested in smaller amounts and digested with lower efficiencies (23±11% and 50±11%, respectively). As a result, the biopolymeric C digestion rate was on average 62±3%. We estimated that the population of M. musculus could remove approximately 0.49±0.13 g biopolymeric C and 0.13±0.03 g N m−2 d−1 from the sediments. These results suggest that M. musculus plays a key role in the benthic tropho-dynamics and biogeochemical processes in the Nazaré Canyon.


Langmuir ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 30 (50) ◽  
pp. 15162-15170 ◽  
Author(s):  
René Hensel ◽  
Andreas Finn ◽  
Ralf Helbig ◽  
Sebastian Killge ◽  
Hans-Georg Braun ◽  
...  

CORROSION ◽  
10.5006/3457 ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 76 (5) ◽  
pp. 464-475 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shravan K. Kairy ◽  
Nick Birbilis

The role of magnesium silicide (Mg2Si) and silicon (Si) particles in the localized corrosion of aluminum (Al) alloys was investigated herein. Sub-micrometer-sized Mg2Si and Si particles were grown in the Al matrix of Al-Mg-Si and Al-Si alloys, respectively, and characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). A quasi in situ TEM technique was used to study an identical location containing Mg2Si or Si particle in the Al matrix, prior to and following a period of immersion in 0.1 M NaCl at pH 6, 2, and 12. At pH 6 and 2, Mg2Si was initially “anodic,” preferentially dealloying via selective dissolution of Mg, resulting in the development of SiO-rich remnants that are electrochemically inert. The SiO-rich remnants at pH 2 physically detached from the Al matrix. Silicon particles were electrochemically inert at pH 6, while “cathodic” at pH 2, dissolving the Al matrix at their periphery. It was observed that copper (Cu) was redeposited on Si particles at pH 2. At pH 12, Mg2Si and Si were “cathodic” to the Al matrix. This study clarifies, and provides new insights into, the characteristics of Al alloy physical manifestation of corrosion associated with Mg2Si and Si at the nanoscale.


Author(s):  
Vidyashankar Venkatesan ◽  
Nilay Mukherjee

Compressive loading is intrinsic to certain tissues in our body like articular cartilage and bone (1). In situ experiments in cartilage suggest that chondrocytes can undergo significant deformation due to compressive loading on the tissue (2). In situ and isolated cell experiments have concluded that cells are quite resilient to compressive loading, aspiration etc. and exhibit a moduli in the range of 0.6 to 2 kPa (3). However, few studies have attempted to understand the compressive behavior of cells in terms of its structural components. The structural components of a cell consist of a membrane and a dense network of at least three elements (actin, microtubules and intermediate filaments). Using finite element analysis techniques we wanted to explore the role of these structural components in determining the ability of the cell to withstand compression.


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