Applications of Transmission and Scanning Electron Microscopy to Materials Science

Applying the electron microscope to studies in Materials Science presents a real challenge to the microscopist. The variety in form and composition of sample materials calls for a repertory of techniques spanning many disciplines. For example the art of ultramicrotomy, once the exclusive province of the biologist, can now be applied to hard materials due to the development of the diamond knife by Fernandez-Moran. Figure 1 shows an ultra-microtome section of a barium-saturated muscovite mica flake. The section was cut at right angles to the (001) planes which are represented by the parallel fringes with 10Å periodicity. The alternating fringe intensity indicates substitution of barium for potassium in the layer structure.