A film-sealed high resolution environmental cell(E.C) for observing
hydrated materials had been developed by us(l). Main specification of the
E.C. is as follows: 1) Accelerated voltage; 100 kV. 2) Gas in the E.C.;
saturated water vapour with carrier gas of 50 Torr. 3) Thickness of gas
layer; 50 μm. 4) Sealing film; evaporated carbon film(20 nm thick) with
plastic microgrid. 5) Resolving power; 1 nm. 6) Transmittance of electron
beam; 60% at 100 kV.
The E.C. had been successfully applied to the study of hydrated
halloysite(2) (3). Kaolin minerals have no interlayer water and are
basically non-expandable but form intercalation compounds with some specific
chemicals such as hydrazine, formamide and etc. Because of these compounds
being mostly changed in vacuum, we tried to reveal the structure changes
between in wet air and in vacuum of kaolin minerals intercalated with
hydrazine and of hydrated state of montmori1lonite using the E.C. developed
by us.