4D Surface Reconstructions to Study Microscale Structures and Functions in Soil Biogeochemistry

In recent years electron microscopy has been used to image surfaces in both the transmission and reflection modes by many research groups. Some of this work has been performed under ultra high vacuum conditions (UHV) and apparent surface reconstructions observed. The level of resolution generally has been at least an order of magnitude worse than is necessary to visualize atoms directly and therefore the detailed atomic rearrangements of the surface are not known. The present author has achieved atomic level resolution under normal vacuum conditions of various Au surfaces. Unfortunately these samples were exposed to atmosphere and could not be cleaned in a standard high resolution electron microscope. The result obtained surfaces which were impurity stabilized and reveal the bulk lattice (1x1) type surface structures also encountered by other surface physics techniques under impure or overlayer contaminant conditions. It was therefore decided to study a system where exposure to air was unimportant by using a oxygen saturated structure, Ag2O, and seeking to find surface reconstructions, which will now be described.

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Surface reconstructions of (001) cleaved GdBa2Cu3O7-δ

Proceedings, annual meeting, Electron Microscopy Society of America ◽

10.1017/s042482010012093x ◽

1992 ◽

Vol 50 (1) ◽

pp. 106-107

Author(s):

H.W. Zandbergen ◽

M.R. McCartney

Keyword(s):

Electron Microscopy ◽

Copper Oxide ◽

Grain Boundaries ◽

Atomic Structure ◽

Oxygen Deficiency ◽

Surface Layers ◽

Layer Sequence ◽

Surface Reconstructions ◽

Good Agreement

Very few electron microscopy papers have been published on the atomic structure of the copper oxide based superconductor surfaces. Zandbergen et al. have reported that the surface of YBa2Cu3O7-δ was such that the terminating layer sequence is bulk-Y-CuO2-BaO-CuO-BaO, whereas the interruption at the grain boundaries is bulk-Y-CuO2-BaO-CuO. Bursill et al. reported that HREM images of the termination at the surface are in good agreement with calculated images with the same layer sequence as observed by Zandbergen et al. but with some oxygen deficiency in the two surface layers. In both studies only one or a few surfaces were studied.

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High-resolution electron microscopy of Cu2O surfaces

Proceedings, annual meeting, Electron Microscopy Society of America ◽

10.1017/s0424820100143584 ◽

1986 ◽

Vol 44 ◽

pp. 396-397

Author(s):

V. Castano ◽

W. Krakow

Keyword(s):

High Resolution ◽

Natural Extension ◽

High Resolution Electron Microscopy ◽

Point Of View ◽

Initial Oxidation ◽

System A ◽

Resolution Electron ◽

Surface Reconstructions ◽

Atomic Surface ◽

Au Thin Films

In non-UHV microscope environments atomic surface structure has been observed for flat-on for various orientations of Au thin films and edge-on for columns of atoms in small particles. The problem of oxidation of surfaces has only recently been reported from the point of view of high resolution microscopy revealing surface reconstructions for the Ag2O system. A natural extension of these initial oxidation studies is to explore other materials areas which are technologically more significant such as that of Cu2O, which will now be described.

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Profile Imaging of Silicon Surface Reconstructions

Proceedings, annual meeting, Electron Microscopy Society of America ◽

10.1017/s0424820100118229 ◽

1985 ◽

Vol 43 ◽

pp. 262-263

Author(s):

O.L. Krivanek ◽

G.J. Wood

Keyword(s):

Electron Microscopy ◽

Surface Structure ◽

Structure Determination ◽

Silicon Surface ◽

Good Resolution ◽

Surface Reconstructions ◽

Bulk Structure ◽

Point To Point ◽

The Relationship

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.

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Contrasts of planar defects in reflection electron microscopy

Proceedings, annual meeting, Electron Microscopy Society of America ◽

10.1017/s042482010015085x ◽

1993 ◽

Vol 51 ◽

pp. 1004-1005

Author(s):

Feng Tsai ◽

J. M. Cowley

Keyword(s):

Electron Microscopy ◽

Surface Defects ◽

Practical Importance ◽

Theoretical Treatment ◽

Crystal Surfaces ◽

Planar Defects ◽

Surface Steps ◽

Surface Reconstructions ◽

Domain Boundaries ◽

Reflection Electron Microscopy

Reflection electron microscopy (REM) has been used to study surface defects such as surface steps, dislocations emerging on crystal surfaces, and surface reconstructions. However, only a few REM studies have been reported about the planar defects emerging on surfaces. The interaction of planar defects with surfaces may be of considerable practical importance but so far there seems to be only one relatively simple theoretical treatment of the REM contrast and very little experimental evidence to support its predications. Recently, intersections of both 90° and 180° ferroelectric domain boundaries with BaTiO3 crystal surfaces have been investigated by Tsai and Cowley with REM.The REM observations of several planar defects, such as stacking faults and domain boundaries have been continued by the present authors. All REM observations are performed on a JEM-2000FX transmission electron microscope. The sample preparations may be seen somewhere else. In REM, the incident electron beam strikes the surface of a crystal with a small glancing angle.

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