Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) of Earth and planetary materials: A review

2010 ◽  
Vol 74 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-27 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. R. Lee

AbstractUsing high intensity beams of fast electrons, the transmission electron microscope (TEM) and scanning transmission electron microscope (STEM) enable comprehensive characterization of rocks and minerals at micrometre to sub-nanometre scales. This review outlines the ways in which samples of Earth and planetary materials can be rendered sufficiently thin for TEM and STEM work, and highlights the significant advances in site-specific preparation enabled by the focused ion beam (FIB) technique. Descriptions of the various modes of TEM and STEM imaging, electron diffraction and X-ray and electron spectroscopy are outlined, with an emphasis on new technologies that are of particular relevance to geoscientists. These include atomic-resolution Z-contrast imaging by high-angle annular dark-field STEM, electron crystallography by precession electron diffraction, spectrum mapping using X-rays and electrons, chemical imaging by energy-filtered TEM and true atomic-resolution imaging with the new generation of aberration-corrected microscopes. Despite the sophistication of modern instruments, the spatial resolution of imaging, diffraction and X-ray and electron spectroscopy work on many natural materials is likely to remain limited by structural and chemical damage to the thin samples during TEM and STEM.

2012 ◽  
Vol 18 (S2) ◽  
pp. 974-975 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Watanabe ◽  
A. Yasuhara ◽  
E. Okunishi

Extended abstract of a paper presented at Microscopy and Microanalysis 2012 in Phoenix, Arizona, USA, July 29 – August 2, 2012.


Author(s):  
Thomas F. Kelly

The purpose of this paper is to outline an approach to routine determination of x-ray detector efficiencies over the entire applicable energy range that may be used on any transmission electron microscope.BACKGROUNDThe quantification of x-ray intensities using the ratio technique can be accomplished [see, for example, 1] using a relation of the form:Here, for element A, CA is the composition in the sample as a weight fraction, kA is the x-ray generation constant (see below) which contains only sample-dependent information, eA is the detector efficiency for characteristic x-rays which contains only detector-dependent information, and lA is the measured x-ray intensity in a characteristic line.


Author(s):  
C. M. Helmick ◽  
J. F. Bailey ◽  
S. S. Ristow

Since not all research facilities have access to a transmission electron microscope (TEM) / x-ray microanalysis system, a study was conducted to determine if a scanning electron microscope (SEM) equipped with an energy dispersive x-ray microanalyer would detect and quantify an immunogold labeled virus on a TEM thin sectioned sample. The objectives of the study were to first, demonstrate that a particular region (serous cardiac gland) of a thin sectioned fish esophageal tissue sample could be detected on a SEM. Secondly, we sought to demonstrate that the quantities of colloidal gold x-rays emitted were in association with the viral infected esophageal tissue at 1 and 24 hours post infection.Tissue and Immunogold labeling. Juvenile rainbow trout (Oncorhychus mykiss) were challenged in vivo at 105 pfu with Hagerman infectious hematopoietic necrosis virus (IHNV) or mocked infected with phosphate buffered saline (PBS). Fish were killed and fixed in 6% paraformaldehyde and 0.5% glutaraldehyde in 0.1 M PBS at 1 and 24 hours post infection and stored at 4°C.


Author(s):  
G. Cliff ◽  
M.J. Nasir ◽  
G.W. Lorimer ◽  
N. Ridley

In a specimen which is transmission thin to 100 kV electrons - a sample in which X-ray absorption is so insignificant that it can be neglected and where fluorescence effects can generally be ignored (1,2) - a ratio of characteristic X-ray intensities, I1/I2 can be converted into a weight fraction ratio, C1/C2, using the equationwhere k12 is, at a given voltage, a constant independent of composition or thickness, k12 values can be determined experimentally from thin standards (3) or calculated (4,6). Both experimental and calculated k12 values have been obtained for K(11<Z>19),kα(Z>19) and some Lα radiation (3,6) at 100 kV. The object of the present series of experiments was to experimentally determine k12 values at voltages between 200 and 1000 kV and to compare these with calculated values.The experiments were carried out on an AEI-EM7 HVEM fitted with an energy dispersive X-ray detector.


Author(s):  
R. Sinclair ◽  
B.E. Jacobson

INTRODUCTIONThe prospect of performing chemical analysis of thin specimens at any desired level of resolution is particularly appealing to the materials scientist. Commercial TEM-based systems are now available which virtually provide this capability. The purpose of this contribution is to illustrate its application to problems which would have been intractable until recently, pointing out some current limitations.X-RAY ANALYSISIn an attempt to fabricate superconducting materials with high critical currents and temperature, thin Nb3Sn films have been prepared by electron beam vapor deposition [1]. Fine-grain size material is desirable which may be achieved by codeposition with small amounts of Al2O3 . Figure 1 shows the STEM microstructure, with large (∽ 200 Å dia) voids present at the grain boundaries. Higher quality TEM micrographs (e.g. fig. 2) reveal the presence of small voids within the grains which are absent in pure Nb3Sn prepared under identical conditions. The X-ray spectrum from large (∽ lμ dia) or small (∽100 Ǻ dia) areas within the grains indicates only small amounts of A1 (fig.3).


Author(s):  
M.D. Ball ◽  
H. Lagace ◽  
M.C. Thornton

The backscattered electron coefficient η for transmission electron microscope specimens depends on both the atomic number Z and the thickness t. Hence for specimens of known atomic number, the thickness can be determined from backscattered electron coefficient measurements. This work describes a simple and convenient method of estimating the thickness and the corrected composition of areas of uncertain atomic number by combining x-ray microanalysis and backscattered electron intensity measurements.The method is best described in terms of the flow chart shown In Figure 1. Having selected a feature of interest, x-ray microanalysis data is recorded and used to estimate the composition. At this stage thickness corrections for absorption and fluorescence are not performed.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yan Chen ◽  
Yuemei Lan ◽  
Dong Wang ◽  
Guoxing Zhang ◽  
Wenlong Peng ◽  
...  

A series of Gd2-xMoO6:xEu3+(x=0.18-0.38) nanophosphors were synthesized by the solvothermal method. The properties of this nanophosphor were characterized by x-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscope (TEM), fluorescence spectra and diffuse...


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