Imaging of Self‐Assembled Structures: Interpretation of TEM and Cryo‐TEM Images

The investigation of solution‐borne nanostructures by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) is a frequently used analytical method in materials chemistry. In many cases, the preparation of the TEM sample involves drying and staining steps, and the collection of images leads to the interaction of the specimen with the electron beam. Both aspects call for cautious interpretation of the resulting electron micrographs. Alternatively, a near‐native solvated state can be preserved by cryogenic vitrification and subsequent imaging by low‐dose cryogenic TEM. In this Minireview, we provide a critical analysis of sample preparation, and more importantly, of the acquisition and interpretation of electron micrographs. This overview should provide a framework for the application of (cryo)‐TEM as a powerful and reliable tool for the analysis of colloidal and self‐assembled structures with nanoscopic dimensions.     

The influence of substrate surface roughness on microstrip transmission line loss using conventional analyses and length‐scale fractal analysis

Two components of conductor topography can impact conductor loss for signals in the GHz frequency range: conductor–ceramic interface roughness and conductor edge angle. This study is an experimental investigation of the influence of these conductor topographies on conductor loss in microstrip circuits produced by thick‐film technology. The aluminum nitride ceramic substrates have different surface roughnesses due to different surface finish processes. The substrate surfaces were characterized using conventional and length‐scale fractal analysis. The conductor–ceramic interface was measured with a contact profilometer. The conductor edge angle and conductor edge profile were measured optically. It was found that there is a direct correlation between conductor loss and conductor edge angle, whereas there is an inverse correlation between loss and substrate roughness or relative length of the conductor–ceramic interface. This is the opposite result to the conventional expectation of surface roughness effects on conductor loss. There is also a negative correlation between conductor edge angle and surface roughness or relative length. The loss behavior can be explained by the interaction of the conductor paste with the surfaces during processing. The paste tends to spread more on the smoother surfaces, and thus creates an elongated edge of diminishing cross‐section and a small edge angle. This leads to greater conductor loss. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Optical characterization of polycarbonate: Influence of additives on optical properties

In laser transmission welding of thermoplastics the optical properties of the joining parts determine the quality of the welding result. Especially, the scattering of laser radiation in the transparent welding part has an impact on weld seam properties. This scattering is caused by additives. For polycarbonate (PC) with different additives the transmittance, the reflectance and the collimated transmittance are measured with a UV‐VIS‐NIR spectrometer. From this data, the optical properties, such as scattering coefficient, absorption coefficient, and anisotropy factor are calculated. The calculations are made with the aid of the four‐flux model of radiation transport in the diffusive approximation. The results show that the additives have a significant influence on the scattering coefficient. For most additives under consideration the scattering is forward directed, which means that most of the radiation is transmitted into the absorbing welding part. However, the power density distribution of the transmitted radiation may differ significantly from PC without additives. So, the weld seam may also differ due to different additives. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 48: 451–455, 2010     

Growth, Band Structure and Optical Properties of LiSrBO3 Crystal

The bulk crystal of LiSrBO3 (8.39 g) with a size of 21mm×20mm×15mm was grown by high temperature solution growth method. The relationship between growth habit and crystal structure was discussed. The transmission spectrum shows an UV absorption edge at about 300 nm. The melting temperature of this crystal was determined to be 942 ℃ by DTA-TG measurement. The band structure of the LiSrBO3 crystal was studied by means of the first principle method. An indirect band gap was found to be about 4.0 eV,and a low dielectric constant was estimated to be about 1.9 in terms of theoretical results.     

用透射电镜和火焰原子吸收法分析大气总悬浮颗粒物

以大气总悬浮颗粒物为主要研究对象,用透射电镜观察其形貌,污染特征明显;用火焰原子吸收法测定其水溶性常规元素K、Na、Ca和Mg。K、Na、Ca和Mg的检出限分别为0.105、0.124、0.259和0.237mg/kg,线性相关系数不低于0.9979,加标回收率为90.0%～95.0%,测定结果的相对标准偏差为0.6%～2.1%(n=6)。     

不同变质程度煤的高分辨率透射电镜分析

利用高分辨率透射电子显微镜(HRTEM)分析了三种不同变质程度煤样的结构特征。基于傅里叶-反傅里叶变换方法,并结合Matlab、Arcgis和Auto CAD软件,通过图像分析技术,获得了HRTEM照片的晶格条纹参数。结果表明,三种煤样的晶格条纹呈现不同特征,按条纹长度分别归属于1×1-8×8共计八个类型。以3×3为临界点,在1×1和2×2中,ML-8中芳香层片的比例高于DP-4和XM-3;在3×3-8×8中,ML-8中芳香层片的比例低于DP-4和XM-3。对比HRTEM和XRD参数d002发现,随着镜质组反射率的增加d002都呈现递减趋势。     

P2型钠离子电池正极材料Na0.66Mn0.675Ni0.1625Co0.1625O2的表面重构及其演变的电子显微表征

采用球差校正扫描透射电子显微镜(STEM)、X射线能谱(EDS)等分析手段表征了高温固相法合成的Na_0.66Mn_0.675Ni_0.1625Co_0.1625O₂钠离子过渡金属氧化物正极材料。X射线衍射(XRD)结果表明该材料为结晶性良好的P2型钠离子层状氧化物(P6₃/mmc)。原子尺度的结构与成分分析显示材料表面存在宽度约为1-2 nm的表面重构层,重构区域内存在大量晶格畸变与反位缺陷,并伴有一定程度的成分偏析——表面富钴(Co)、缺镍(Ni)。进一步研究表明这些表面重构区域在时效过程中会发生明显的“退化”,即初始表面重构层宽度会进一步扩展至5-10 nm,部分区域钠离子耗尽,由层状结构转变为尖晶石(Spinel,Fd3m)与岩盐相(rocksalt,Fm3m)共存的结构。     

电子显微技术应用于生物纳米材料表征与测试的研究进展

该文简述了电子显微技术的发展历程,并介绍了现代电子显微镜的新功能。针对生物纳米材料理化性能与功能应用的特殊性,结合研究实例,重点阐述运用电子显微结构表征与原位分析测试技术指导构建新颖纳米结构、揭示材料与细胞/组织相互作用并发挥功能的机制。并在此基础上,展望了电子显微技术在生物纳米材料研究领域的发展方向(大尺寸图像拼接、三维重构、动态原位实时成像)。     

Morphological analysis of photocured polyurethane acrylate networks. Correlation with viscoelastic properties

In this paper, we investigate the final morphology of photocured polyurethane acrylates based on polypropylene oxide by means of Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), Small Angle X‐ray Scattering (SAXS), and dynamic mechanical measurements. Two interrelated structural features on two different size scales can occur in these systems. TEM analysis demonstrates the presence of inhomogeneities on the length scale of 10–200 manometers, mostly constituted by clusters of small hard units (diacrylated diisocyanate) connected by polyacrylate chains. The bimodal shape of the dynamic mechanical relaxation spectra corroborates this two‐phase structure. Besides, a suborganization of the reacted diisocyanate hard segments inside the polyurethane acrylate matrix is revealed by SAXS measurements, depending on the nature of the hydroxylacrylate used for the synthesis of the precursor. Finally, UV‐exposure time is found to induce modifications on the viscoelastic properties of the final network, even at high double‐bond conversion: this effect can be due to a postreaction and to an increase of the crosslinking density inside the hard segments domains. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci B: Polym Phys 37: 919–937, 1999     

Refinement of etching techniques to reveal lamellar profiles in polyethylene banded spherulites

Permanganic reagents, developed for revealing semicrystalline morphology in olefin polymers under the electron microscope, have been modified by changing the water content to give the best resolution of detail in different polyethylene specimens. An optimum reagent is chosen to characterize a special feature of polyethylene spherulites, namely the S‐profile of dominant lamellae seen as growing towards the observer. This reagent consists of 1% weight of potassium permanganate in a mixture of 10 volumes concentrated sulphuric acid, 4 volumes of 85% orthophosphoric acid, and 1 volume of water. This study is set in the historical context of banded spherulite studies. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci B: Polym Phys 37: 2279–2286, 1999