Abstract: Ultrathin graphene films find their use as advantageous support for nano- and biomaterials investigations. Thin film causes a very slight deterioration to measured signals, thus providing more details of the object's structure at nanoscale. The ultimate thinness of graphene works in the best way for this purpose. However, obtaining suspended thin film of a large-area, which is convenient for applications, is often a relatively complicated and time-consuming task. Here we present a one-step 1-min technique for synthesis of an extremely thin (about 1-2 nm) continuous film suspended over cells of a conventional copper grid (50-400 mu m mesh). This technique enables us to acquire a large-area film which is water-resistant, stable in organic solvents and can act as a support when studying nanoparticles or biomaterials. Moreover, the very mechanism of the film formation can be interesting from the point of view of other applications of ultrathin graphene oxide papers. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Abstract: The conventional approach to object reconstruction through electron tomography is to reduce the three-dimensional problem to a series of independent two-dimensional slice-by-slice reconstructions. However, at atomic resolution the image of a single atom extends over many such slices and incorporating this image as prior knowledge in tomography or depth sectioning therefore requires a fully three-dimensional treatment. Unfortunately, the size of the three-dimensional projection operator scales highly unfavorably with object size and readily exceeds the available computer memory. In this paper, it is shown that for incoherent image formation the memory requirement can be reduced to the fundamental lower limit of the object size, both for tomography and depth sectioning. Furthermore, it is shown through multislice calculations that high angle annular dark field scanning transmission electron microscopy can be sufficiently incoherent for the reconstruction of single element nanocrystals, but that dynamical diffraction effects can cause classification problems if more than one element is present. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Abstract: The deployment of Gen-IV lead-cooled fast reactors requires a good compatibility between the selected structural/cladding steels and the inherently corrosive heavy liquid metal coolant. An effective liquid metal corrosion mitigation strategy involves the in-situ steel passivation in contact with the oxygen-containing Pb-alloy coolant. Transmission electron microscopy was used in this work to study the multi-layered oxide scales forming on an austenitic stainless steel fuel cladding exposed to oxygen-containing (CO ≈ 10−6 mass%) static liquid leadbismuth eutectic (LBE) for 1000 h between 400 and 500 °C. The oxide scale constituents were analyzed, including the intertwined phases comprising the innermost biphasic layer.

Abstract: The holographic mask technique is used to create freely moving electrons with quantized angular momentum. With electron optical elements they can be focused to vortices with diameters below the nanometer range. The understanding of these vortex beams is important for many applications. Here, we produce electron vortex beams and compare them to a theory of electrons with topological charge. The experimental results show excellent agreement with simulations. As an immediate application, fundamental experimental parameters like spherical aberration and partial coherence are determined. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Abstract: A new superconducting mercury oxycarbonate, Pb0.7Hg0.3Sr4Cu2CO3O7, has been synthesized. This tetragonal phase (a = 3.824 angstrom, c= 16.468 angstrom) consists of an intergrowth of two nonsuperconducting compounds, Sr2CuO2CO3 and Pb0.7Hg0.3Sr2CuO5. It exhibits after optimization a critical temperature of 70 K, with a sharp transition and a superconducting volume fraction of 50%. Its behavior can be compared to that of thallium oxycarbonates previously isolated. This study is completed by a reinvestigation of the 1212 cuprate of the system Hg-Pb-Sr-Ca-Nd-Cu. A superconducting phase with the 1212 structure, similar to that previously obtained but with a significantly different composition, Pb0.7Hg0.3Sr2+xCa0.7Nd0.3-xCu2O7, has been obtained, with a T(c onset) of 100 K. The behavior of the latter is compared with other lead-based 1212 cuprates.

Abstract: Semiconductor heterostructures are used for the fabrication of optoelectronic devices. Performance of such devices is governed by their chemical morphology. The composition distribution of quantum wells and dots is influenced by kinetic growth processes which are not understood completely at present. To obtain more information about these effects, methods for composition determination with a spatial resolution at a near atomic scale are necessary. In this paper we focus on the present state of the composition evaluation by the lattice fringe analysis (CELFA) technique and explain the basic ideas, optimum imaging conditions, precision and accuracy.

Abstract: High-resolution transmission electron microscopy was performed on compacted Ni(3)Al nanostructured material prepared by the inert gas condensation technique. From electron diffraction data an incomplete L1(2) ordering of the crystallites is observed in the free particles as well as in the room temperature compacted samples. However, a completely ordered L1(2) structure with much bigger and well-defined crystallites exhibiting several defects is observed in material compacted and annealed at 773 K. Sharp crystallite boundaries as well as amorphous material and voids are observed in between crystallites in all samples, the former being dominant in the annealed material, the latter in the as-prepared one.

Abstract: A survey is given of the application of different electron microscopic techniques to the study of structural features of high T(c)-superconducting materials. Emphasis is laid in this contribution on those structural aspects for the study of which electron microscopy has been essential or has contributed to a significant extent.

Abstract: Zeogrids and Zeotiles are hierarchical materials built from assembled MFI zeolite precursor units. Permanent secondary porosity in these materials is obtained through self assembly of nanoparticles encountered in MFI zeolite synthesis in the presence of supramolecular templates. Hereon, the aggregated species are termed nanoslabs. Zeogrids are layered materials with lateral spacings between nanoslabs creating galleries qualifying as supermicropores. Zeotiles present a diversity of tridimensional nanoslab assemblies with mesopores. Zeotile-1, -4 and -6 are hexagonal mesostructures. Zeotile-1 has triangular and hexagonal channels; Zeotile-4 has hexagonal channels interconnected via slits. Zeotile-2 has a cubic structure with gyroid type mesoporosity. The behavior of Zeogrids and Zeotiles in adsorption, membrane and chromatographic separation and catalysis has been characterized and compared with zeolites and mesoporous materials derived from unstructured silica sources. Shape selectivity was detected via adsorption of n- and iso-alkanes. The mesoporosity of Zeotiles can be exploited in chromatographic separation of biomolecules. Zeotiles present attractive separation properties relevant to CO2 sequestration. Because of its facile synthesis procedure without hydrothermal steps Zeogrid is convenient for membrane synthesis. The performance of Zeogrid membrane in gas separation, nanofiltration and pervaporation is reported. In the Beckmann rearrangement of cyclohexanone oxime Zeogrids and Zeotiles display a catalytic activity characteristic of silicalite-1 zeolites. Introduction of acidity and redox catalytic activity can be achieved via incorporation of Al and Ti atoms in the nanoslabs during synthesis. Zeogrids are active in hydrocracking, catalytic cracking, alkylation and epoxidation reactions. Zeogrids and Zeotiles often behave differently from ordered mesoporous materials as well as from zeolites and present a valuable extension of the family of hierarchical silicate based materials.

Abstract: We report ferromagnetic, T-C = 240 K, and metallic, T-MI = 250 K, behaviors of a three unit cell thick interface engineered lanthanum manganite film, grown by metalorganic aerosol deposition technique on SrTiO3(100) substrates. Atomically resolved electron microscopy and chemical analysis show that ultrathin manganite films start to grow with La-O layer on a strongly Mn/Ti-intermixed interface, engineered by an additional deposition of 2 u.c. of Sr-Mn-O. Such interface engineering results in a hole-doped manganite layer and stabilizes ferromagnetism and metallic conductivity down to the thickness of d = 3 u.c. The films with d = 8 u.c. demonstrate a bulk-like transport behavior with T-MI similar to T-C = 310 – 330 K. (C) 2013 American Institute of Physics.