scholarly journals In-Situ Observation of the Alpha/beta Cristobalite Transition Using High Voltage Electron Microscopy

1989 ◽  
Vol 176 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Meike ◽  
W. E. Glassley

ABSTRACTA high temperature water vapor phase is expected to persist in the vicinity of high level radioactive waste packages for several hundreds of years. We have begun an investigation of the structural and chemical effects of water on cristobalite because of its abundance in the near field environment. A high voltage transmission electron microscope (HVEM) investigation of bulk synthesized α-cristobalite to be used in single phase dissolution and precipitation kinetics experiments revealed the presence β cristobalite, quartz and amorphous silica, in addition to α-cristobalite. Consequently, this apparent metastable persistence of β-cristobalite and amorphous silica during the synthesis of α-cristobalite was investigated using a heating stage and an environmental cell installed in the HVEM that allowed the introduction of either dry CO2 or a CO2 + H2O vapor. Preliminary electron diffraction evidence suggests that the presence of water vapor affected the α-β transition temperature. Water vapor may also be responsible for the development of an amorphous silica phase at the transition that may persist over an interval of several tens of degrees. The amorphous phase was not documented during the dry heating experiments.

Microscopy ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 69 (6) ◽  
pp. 331-339
Author(s):  
Hidehiro Yasuda ◽  
Kazuhisa Sato ◽  
Hirotaro Mori

Abstract Ultra-high voltage electron microscopy is useful for research utilizing high-penetration thickness of electron beam, in situ observation, or irradiation effects by the particle characteristics of electrons. In this review, the importance of non-equilibrium materials science research by a combination with irradiation effects and in situ observation is shown, and examples of some research are introduced. For example, crystal-amorphous-crystalline phase transition in intermetallic compounds, non-equilibrium phase transition in pure metallic nanoparticles and nucleation and growth process of electron irradiation-induced crystallization in amorphous nanoparticles will be discussed. Finally, we want to suggest the importance of exploring non-equilibrium materials science based on dynamic structures which has been unexplored.


Author(s):  
L. D. Ackerman ◽  
S. H. Y. Wei

Mature human dental enamel has presented investigators with several difficulties in ultramicrotomy of specimens for electron microscopy due to its high degree of mineralization. This study explores the possibility of combining ion-milling and high voltage electron microscopy as a means of circumventing the problems of ultramicrotomy.A longitudinal section of an extracted human third molar was ground to a thickness of about 30 um and polarized light micrographs were taken. The specimen was attached to a single hole grid and thinned by argon-ion bombardment at 15° incidence while rotating at 15 rpm. The beam current in each of two guns was 50 μA with an accelerating voltage of 4 kV. A 20 nm carbon coating was evaporated onto the specimen to prevent an electron charge from building up during electron microscopy.


Author(s):  
Lee D. Peachey ◽  
Clara Franzini-Armstrong

The effective study of biological tissues in thick slices of embedded material by high voltage electron microscopy (HVEM) requires highly selective staining of those structures to be visualized so that they are not hidden or obscured by other structures in the image. A tilt pair of micrographs with subsequent stereoscopic viewing can be an important aid in three-dimensional visualization of these images, once an appropriate stain has been found. The peroxidase reaction has been used for this purpose in visualizing the T-system (transverse tubular system) of frog skeletal muscle by HVEM (1). We have found infiltration with lanthanum hydroxide to be particularly useful for three-dimensional visualization of certain aspects of the structure of the T- system in skeletal muscles of the frog. Specifically, lanthanum more completely fills the lumen of the tubules and is denser than the peroxidase reaction product.


Author(s):  
T. Mukai ◽  
T. E. Mitchell

Radiation-induced homogeneous precipitation in Ni-Be alloys was recently observed by high voltage electron microscopy. A coupling of interstitial flux with solute Be atoms is responsible for the precipitation. The present investigation further shows that precipitation is also induced at thin foil surfaces by electron irradiation under a high vacuum.


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