Profile Imaging of Silicon Surface Reconstructions

Author(s):  
O.L. Krivanek ◽  
G.J. Wood

Electron microscopy at 0.2nm point-to-point resolution, 10-10 torr specimei region vacuum and facilities for in-situ specimen cleaning presents intere; ing possibilities for surface structure determination. Three methods for examining the surfaces are available: reflection (REM), transmission (TEM) and profile imaging. Profile imaging is particularly useful because it giv good resolution perpendicular as well as parallel to the surface, and can therefore be used to determine the relationship between the surface and the bulk structure.

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jing Cheng ◽  
Bufan Li ◽  
Long Si ◽  
Xinzheng Zhang

AbstractCryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) tomography is a powerful tool for in situ structure determination. However, this method requires the acquisition of tilt series, and its time consuming throughput of acquiring tilt series severely slows determination of in situ structures. By treating the electron densities of non-target protein as non-Gaussian distributed noise, we developed a new target function that greatly improves the efficiency of the recognition of the target protein in a single cryo-EM image without acquiring tilt series. Moreover, we developed a sorting function that effectively eliminates the false positive detection, which not only improves the resolution during the subsequent structure refinement procedure but also allows using homolog proteins as models to recognize the target protein. Together, we developed an in situ single particle analysis (isSPA) method. Our isSPA method was successfully applied to solve structures of glycoproteins on the surface of a non-icosahedral virus and Rubisco inside the carboxysome. The cryo-EM data from both samples were collected within 24 hours, thus allowing fast and simple structural determination in situ.


2004 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 134-138 ◽  
Author(s):  
Masaki Takeguchi ◽  
Kazutaka Mitsuishi ◽  
Miyoko Tanaka ◽  
Kazuo Furuya

About 1 monolayer of palladium was deposited onto a silicon (111) 7 × 7 surface at a temperature of about 550 K inside an ultrahigh vacuum transmission electron microscope, resulting in formation of Pd2Si nanoislands and a 1 × 1 surface layer. Pd clusters created from an excess of Pd atoms on the 1 × 1 surface layer were directly observed byin situplan view high-resolution transmission electron microscopy. When an objective aperture was introduced so that electron diffractions less than 0.20 nm were filtered out, the lattice structure of the 1 × 1 surface with 0.33 nm spacing and the Pd clusters with a trimer shape were visualized. It was found that image contrast of the 1 × 1 lattice on the specific height terraces disappeared, and thereby an atomic structure of the Pd clusters was clearly observed. The appearance and disappearance of the 1 × 1 lattice was explained by the effect of the kinematical diffraction. It was identified that a Pd cluster was composed of three Pd atoms without a centered Si atom, which is consistent with the model proposed previously. The feature of the Pd clusters stuck at the surface step was also described.


1999 ◽  
Vol 72 (1) ◽  
pp. 119-129 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. Murakami ◽  
S. Osanai ◽  
M. Shigekuni ◽  
S. Iio ◽  
H. Tanahashi ◽  
...  

Abstract In situ silica reinforcement for the acrylonitrile-butadiene rubber (NBR) vulcanizates, which were premixed with a conventional silica (VN-3) and γ-mercaptopropyltrimethoxysilane (γ-MPS), was achieved by the sol-gel reaction of tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) using ethylenediamine. It was observed that the reinforcement efficiency tended to increase with the increase of mechanically premixed conventional silica. From the observations of transmission electron microscopy and scanning electron microscopy, the simultaneous use of VN-3 and γ-MPS was found to promote the formation of large silica particles and clusters with a relatively good dispersion by the sol-gel reaction of TEOS in the NBR vulcanizate. The results of hysteresis measurements supported this promotion. It was considered to be due to the surface modification of VN-3 by the sol-gel reaction of TEOS and the presence of γ-MPS which worked as a dispersion agent for silica particles. The relationship between the mechanical properties and the morphology of the in situ silica filled vulcanizates is discussed.


1999 ◽  
Vol 06 (05) ◽  
pp. 851-857 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. A. WALKO ◽  
I. K. ROBINSON

We have determined the surface structure of O/Cu(104) using X-ray diffraction. This surface was prepared by dosing Cu(115) with oxygen, transforming the clean surface into facets with {104} and {113} orientations. This method of preparation, in essence, naturally grows the (104)-oriented substrate concurrent with the O-covered surface, resulting in O/Cu(104) facets which are smooth and highly ordered. Our results indicate that the top three atomic rows significantly expand away from the bulk, but no Cu rows are missing. The Cu–O structures of this surface are similar to those present on other O on Cu surface reconstructions, but the adsorbed O inhabits two adsorption sites with notably distinct geometries. The relationship between the O/Cu(104) and O/Cu(001)[Formula: see text] structures, in particular, is discussed.


1998 ◽  
Vol 05 (03n04) ◽  
pp. 653-663 ◽  
Author(s):  
Koyu Aoki ◽  
Hiroki Minoda ◽  
Yasumasa Tanishiro ◽  
Katsumichi Yagi

Initial stages of Au adsorption processes on Si(111)-(7 × 7) surfaces at ~780°C, a temperature range where the surface structure undergoes successive phase transitions [(7 × 7)–("1 × 1")–(5×2)–("1 × 1")], were observed in situ by reflection electron microscopy. All of the phase transitions are heterogeneous on the surface and start at surface atomic steps. During Au adsorption on Si(111)-(7 × 7), and subsequently on Si(111)-("1 × 1") surface with wide terraces, steps advance toward the step-down direction. At a Au coverage of ~0.3 ML, the 5 × 2 structure nucleates at step edges, and the nuclei expand both to the lower side terraces and to the higher side terraces. At this stage, an effect of current for heating the specimen was noted. From measurements of such movements of the steps and the domain boundaries, the density of Si atoms in the "1 × 1" phase is estimated to be 1.3–1.7 ML at a Au coverage of ~0.3 ML. Au adsorption on Si(111) surfaces with narrow terraces causes bunching of the steps. After nucleation of the 5 × 2 structure, the bunched [Formula: see text] steps become straight along the [Formula: see text] direction, and are transformed into the (335) facet planes at a Au coverage of 0.50 ML. It was found that the (335) facet planes are stabilized by adsorbed Au atoms. Destruction of the (335) facet is noted at a Au coverage of 0.73 ML.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jing Cheng ◽  
Bufan Li ◽  
Long Si ◽  
Xinzheng Zhang

Abstract Cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) tomography is a powerful tool for in situ structure determination. However, this method requires the acquisition of tilt series, and its time consuming throughput of acquiring tilt series severely slows determination of in situ structures. By treating the electron densities of non-target protein as non-Gaussian distributed noise, we developed a new target function that greatly improves the efficiency of the recognition of the target protein in a single cryo-EM image without acquiring tilt series. Moreover, we developed a sorting function that effectively eliminates the false positive detection, which not only improves the resolution during the subsequent structure refinement procedure but also allows using homolog proteins as models to recognize the target protein. Together, we developed an in situ single particle analysis (isSPA) method. Our isSPA method was successfully applied to solve structures of glycoproteins on the surface of a non-icosahedral virus and Rubisco inside the carboxysome. The cryo-EM data from both samples were collected within 24 hours, thus allowing fast and simple structural determination in situ.


2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Swetha Vijayakrishnan ◽  
Marion McElwee ◽  
Colin Loney ◽  
Frazer Rixon ◽  
David Bhella

Abstract Cryo electron microscopy (cryo-EM), a key method for structure determination involves imaging purified material embedded in vitreous ice. Images are then computationally processed to obtain three-dimensional structures approaching atomic resolution. There is increasing interest in extending structural studies by cryo-EM into the cell, where biological structures and processes may be imaged in context. The limited penetrating power of electrons prevents imaging of thick specimens (> 500 nm) however. Cryo-sectioning methods employed to overcome this are technically challenging, subject to artefacts or involve specialised and costly equipment. Here we describe the first structure of herpesvirus capsids determined by sub-tomogram averaging from nuclei of eukaryotic cells, achieved by cryo-electron tomography (cryo-ET) of re-vitrified cell sections prepared using the Tokuyasu method. Our reconstructions confirm that the capsid associated tegument complex is present on capsids prior to nuclear egress. We demonstrate that this method is suited to both 3D structure determination and correlative light/electron microscopy, thus expanding the scope of cryogenic cellular imaging.


2021 ◽  
Vol 66 (4) ◽  
pp. 570-580
Author(s):  
D. I. Rogilo ◽  
S. V. Sitnikov ◽  
E. E. Rodyakina ◽  
A. S. Petrov ◽  
S. A. Ponomarev ◽  
...  

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