In situ silicification of an Icelandic hot spring microbial mat: implications for microfossil formation

1995 ◽  
Vol 32 (12) ◽  
pp. 2021-2026 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Schultze-Lam ◽  
F. G. Ferris ◽  
K. O. Konhauser ◽  
R. G. Wiese

Transmission electron microscopy and energy-dispersive x-ray analysis revealed that filamentous phototrophic bacteria resembling Chloroflexus aurantiacus underwent rapid silicification in an Icelandic hot spring microbial mat. The mineralization associated with the cells occurred both extracellularly, within and on the external sheaths of the bacteria, and intracellularly, within the cytoplasm. The exceptional preservation of the bacterial sheaths is due to the presence of distinct mineral nucleation sites. This results in the production of silica casts of the bacteria, which bear a striking resemblance to microbial remains in ancient microfossil assemblages.

2006 ◽  
Vol 21 (12) ◽  
pp. 3047-3057 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Vlad ◽  
A. Stierle ◽  
N. Kasper ◽  
H. Dosch ◽  
M. Rühle

The oxidation in air of NiAl(110) was investigated in the temperature range from 870 °C–1200 °C by in situ x-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy. Oxidation at 870 °C and 1 bar oxygen leads to the formation of an epitaxial layer of γ-alumina showing an R30° orientation relationship with respect to the underlying substrate. At oxidation temperatures between 950 °C and 1025 °C, we observed a coexistence of epitaxial γ- and polycrystalline δ-Al2O3. The α-Al2O3 starts to form at 1025 °C and the complete transformation of metastable phases to the stable α-alumina phase takes place at 1100 °C. The fcc-hcp martensitic-like transformation of the initial γ-Al2O3 to epitaxial α-Al2O3 was observed. X-ray diffraction and cross-section transmission electron microscopy proved the existence of a continuous epitaxial α-Al2O3 layer between the substrate and the polycrystalline oxide scale, having a thickness of about 150 nm. The relative orientation relationship between the epitaxial alumina and the underlying substrate was found to be NiAl(110) || α-Al2O3 (0001) and [110] NiAl || [1120].


Inorganics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (11) ◽  
pp. 85
Author(s):  
Maryam Golozar ◽  
Raynald Gauvin ◽  
Karim Zaghib

This work summarizes the most commonly used in situ techniques for the study of Li-ion batteries from the micro to the atomic level. In situ analysis has attracted a great deal of interest owing to its ability to provide a wide range of information about the cycling behavior of batteries from the beginning until the end of cycling. The in situ techniques that are covered are: X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), and Scanning Transmission Electron Microscopy (STEM). An optimized setup is required to be able to use any of these in situ techniques in battery applications. Depending on the type of data required, the available setup, and the type of battery, more than one of these techniques might be needed. This study organizes these techniques from the micro to the atomic level, and shows the types of data that can be obtained using these techniques, their advantages and their challenges, and possible strategies for overcoming these challenges.


2014 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 407-415 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dipanjan Bhattacharya ◽  
Michel Bosman ◽  
Venkata R.S.S. Mokkapati ◽  
Fong Yew Leong ◽  
Utkur Mirsaidov

AbstractThe origin of the condensation of water begins at the nanoscale, a length-scale that is challenging to probe for liquids. In this work we directly image heterogeneous nucleation of water nanodroplets by in situ transmission electron microscopy. Using gold nanoparticles bound to a flat surface as heterogeneous nucleation sites, we observe nucleation and growth of water nanodroplets. The growth of nanodroplet radii follows the power law: R(t)~(t−t0)β, where β~0.2−0.3.


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