Transmission electron microscopy of composite materials

Author(s):  
K.P.D. Lagerlof

Although most materials contain more than one phase, and thus are multiphase materials, the definition of composite materials is commonly used to describe those materials containing more than one phase deliberately added to obtain certain desired physical properties. Composite materials are often classified according to their application, i.e. structural composites and electronic composites, but may also be classified according to the type of compounds making up the composite, i.e. metal/ceramic, ceramic/ceramie and metal/semiconductor composites. For structural composites it is also common to refer to the type of structural reinforcement; whisker-reinforced, fiber-reinforced, or particulate reinforced composites [1-4].For all types of composite materials, it is of fundamental importance to understand the relationship between the microstructure and the observed physical properties, and it is therefore vital to properly characterize the microstructure. The interfaces separating the different phases comprising the composite are of particular interest to understand. In structural composites the interface is often the weakest part, where fracture will nucleate, and in electronic composites structural defects at or near the interface will affect the critical electronic properties.

Author(s):  
R.R. Russell

Transmission electron microscopy of metallic/intermetallic composite materials is most challenging since the microscopist typically has great difficulty preparing specimens with uniform electron thin areas in adjacent phases. The application of ion milling for thinning foils from such materials has been quite effective. Although composite specimens prepared by ion milling have yielded much microstructural information, this technique has some inherent drawbacks such as the possible generation of ion damage near sample surfaces.


Author(s):  
J. D. Hutchison

When the transmission electron microscope was commercially introduced a few years ago, it was heralded as one of the most significant aids to medical research of the century. It continues to occupy that niche; however, the scanning electron microscope is gaining rapidly in relative importance as it fills the gap between conventional optical microscopy and transmission electron microscopy.IBM Boulder is conducting three major programs in cooperation with the Colorado School of Medicine. These are the study of the mechanism of failure of the prosthetic heart valve, the study of the ultrastructure of lung tissue, and the definition of the function of the cilia of the ventricular ependyma of the brain.


Author(s):  
P. M. Lowrie ◽  
W. S. Tyler

The importance of examining stained 1 to 2μ plastic sections by light microscopy has long been recognized, both for increased definition of many histologic features and for selection of specimen samples to be used in ultrastructural studies. Selection of specimens with specific orien ation relative to anatomical structures becomes of critical importance in ultrastructural investigations of organs such as the lung. The uantity of blocks necessary to locate special areas of interest by random sampling is large, however, and the method is lacking in precision. Several methods have been described for selection of specific areas for electron microscopy using light microscopic evaluation of paraffin, epoxy-infiltrated, or epoxy-embedded large blocks from which thick sections were cut. Selected areas from these thick sections were subsequently removed and re-embedded or attached to blank precasted blocks and resectioned for transmission electron microscopy (TEM).


1998 ◽  
Vol 536 ◽  
Author(s):  
V. P. Popov ◽  
A. K. Gutakovsky ◽  
I. V. Antonova ◽  
K. S. Zhuravlev ◽  
E. V. Spesivtsev ◽  
...  

AbstractA study of Si:H layers formed by high dose hydrogen implantation (up to 3x107cm-2) using pulsed beams with mean currents up 40 mA/cm2 was carried out in the present work. The Rutherford backscattering spectrometry (RBS), channeling of He ions, and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) were used to study the implanted silicon, and to identify the structural defects (a-Si islands and nanocrystallites). Implantation regimes used in this work lead to creation of the layers, which contain hydrogen concentrations higher than 15 at.% as well as the high defect concentrations. As a result, the nano- and microcavities that are created in the silicon fill with hydrogen. Annealing of this silicon removes the radiation defects and leads to a nanocrystalline structure of implanted layer. A strong energy dependence of dechanneling, connected with formation of quasi nanocrystallites, which have mutual small angle disorientation (<1.50), was found after moderate annealing in the range 200-500°C. The nanocrystalline regions are in the range of 2-4 nm were estimated on the basis of the suggested dechanneling model and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) measurements. Correlation between spectroscopic ellipsometry, visible photoluminescence, and sizes of nanocrystallites in hydrogenated nc-Si:H is observed.


2000 ◽  
Vol 628 ◽  
Author(s):  
T.N. Blanton ◽  
D. Majumdar ◽  
S.M. Melpolder

ABSTRACTClay-polymer nanoparticulate composite materials are evaluated by the X-ray diffraction technique. The basal plane spacing provided information about the degree of intercalation and exfoliation of the 2: 1 layered clay structure. Both intercalation and exfoliation are controlled by the identity of the polymer and the clay:polymer ratio.


Materials ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (21) ◽  
pp. 4715
Author(s):  
Adam Kubiak ◽  
Marta Kubacka ◽  
Elżbieta Gabała ◽  
Anna Dobrowolska ◽  
Karol Synoradzki ◽  
...  

The TiO2-Fe3O4 composite materials were fabricated via the hydrothermal-assisted technique. It was determined how the molar ratio of TiO2 to Fe3O4 influences the crystalline structure and morphology of the synthesized composite materials. The effect of the molar ratio of components on the antibacterial activity was also analyzed. On the basis of XRD patterns for the obtained titanium(IV) oxide-iron(II, III) oxide composites, the two separate crystalline forms—anatase and magnetite —were observed. Transmission electron microscopy revealed particles of cubic and tetragonal shape for TiO2 and spherical for Fe3O4. The results of low-temperature nitrogen sorption analysis indicated that an increase in the iron(II, III) oxide content leads to a decrease in the BET surface area. Moreover, the superparamagnetic properties of titanium(IV) oxide-iron(II, III) oxide composites should be noted. An important aim of the work was to determine the antibacterial activity of selected TiO2-Fe3O4 materials. For this purpose, two representative strains of bacteria, the Gram-negative Escherichia coli and Gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus, were used. The titanium(IV) oxide-iron(II, III) oxide composites demonstrated a large zone of growth inhibition for both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. Moreover, it was found that the analyzed materials can be reused as antibacterial agents in three consecutive cycles with good results.


Author(s):  
Marina Sirota ◽  
Kamaludin Abdulvakhidov ◽  
Tatiana Lastovina ◽  
Anna Pnevskaya ◽  
Elza Ubushaeva ◽  
...  

2004 ◽  
Vol 839 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Moeck ◽  
Wentao Qin ◽  
Philip B. Fraundorf

ABSTRACTIt is well known that the crystallographic phase and morphology of many materials changes with the crystal size in the tens of nanometer range and that many nanocrystals possess structural defects in excess of their equilibrium levels. A need to determine the ideal and real structure of individual nanoparticles, therefore, arises. High-resolution phase-contrast transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and atomic resolution Z-contrast scanning TEM (STEM) when combined with transmission electron goniometry offer the opportunity of develop dedicated methods for the crystallographic characterization of nanoparticles in three dimensions. This paper describes tilt strategies for taking data from individual nanocrystals “as found”, so as to provide information on their lattice structure and orientation, as well as on the structure and orientation of their surfaces and structural defects. Internet based java applets that facilitate the application of this technique for cubic crystals with calibrated tilt-rotation and double-tilt holders are mentioned briefly. The enhanced viability of image-based nanocrystallography in future aberration-corrected TEMs and STEMs is illustrated on a nanocrystal model system.


2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Chih-Yung Yang ◽  
Shu-Meng Yang ◽  
Yu-Yang Chen ◽  
Kuo-Chang Lu

Abstract In this study, self-catalyzed β-FeSi2 nanowires, having been wanted but seldom achieved in a furnace, were synthesized via chemical vapor deposition method where the fabrication of β-FeSi2 nanowires occurred on Si (100) substrates through the decomposition of the single-source precursor of anhydrous FeCl3 powders at 750–950 °C. We carefully varied temperatures, duration time, and the flow rates of carrier gases to control and investigate the growth of the nanowires. The morphology of the β-FeSi2 nanowires was observed with scanning electron microscopy (SEM), while the structure of them was analyzed with X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The growth mechanism has been proposed and the physical properties of the iron disilicide nanowires were measured as well. In terms of the magnetization of β-FeSi2, nanowires were found to be different from bulk and thin film; additionally, longer β-FeSi2 nanowires possessed better magnetic properties, showing the room-temperature ferromagnetic behavior. Field emission measurements demonstrate that β-FeSi2 nanowires can be applied in field emitters.


1994 ◽  
Vol 351 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nir Kossovsky ◽  
A. Gelman ◽  
H.J. Hnatyszyn ◽  
E. Sponsler ◽  
G.-M. Chow

ABSTRACTIntrigued by the deceptive simplicity and beauty of macromolecular self-assembly, our laboratory began studying models of self-assembly using solids, glasses, and colloidal substrates. These studies have defined a fundamental new colloidal material for supporting members of a biochemically reactive pair.The technology, a molecular transportation assembly, is based on preformed carbon ceramic nanoparticles and self assembled calcium-phosphate dihydrate particles to which glassy carbohydrates are then applied as a nanometer thick surface coating. This carbohydrate coated core functions as a dehydroprotectant and stabilizes surface immobilized members of a biochemically reactive pair. The final product, therefore, consists of three layers. The core is comprised of the ceramic, the second layer is the dehydroprotectant carbohydrate adhesive, and the surface layer is the biochemically reactive molecule for which delivery is desired.We have characterized many of the physical properties of this system and have evaluated the utility of this delivery technology in vitro and in animal models. Physical characterization has included standard and high resolution transmission electron microscopy, electron and x-ray diffraction and ζ potential analysis. Functional assays of the ability of the system to act as a nanoscale dehydroprotecting delivery vehicle have been performed on viral antigens, hemoglobin, and insulin. By all measures at present, the favorable physical properties and biological behavior of the molecular transportation assembly point to an exciting new interdisciplinary area of technology development in materials science, chemistry and biology.


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