MicronPub Date : 2024-12-27DOI: 10.1016/j.micron.2024.103776
Yi Cui 崔一, Pawel Czaja, Yi Cui 崔屹, Robert Sinclair
{"title":"Scanning transmission election microscopy observations of twisted epitaxial gold nanodiscs in twisted molybdenum disulfide bilayers","authors":"Yi Cui 崔一, Pawel Czaja, Yi Cui 崔屹, Robert Sinclair","doi":"10.1016/j.micron.2024.103776","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.micron.2024.103776","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Atomic scale, scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) analysis of the moiré structures in twisted epitaxial gold nanodiscs encapsulated in twisted bilayer molybdenum disulfide is presented. High angle annular dark field STEM imaging reveals that the period of the moiré patterns between gold and molybdenum disulfide varies with different twist angles of the bilayer molybdenum disulfide, ranging from 1.80 nm (epitaxial alignment of gold) to 1.53 nm (twisted epitaxial alignment of gold). Additionally, bright field STEM imaging reveals a faint, larger \"moiré of moiré\" structure in cases where the bilayer molybdenum disulfide twist angle is small (∼6°), arising from the overlapping three-layers, which is not visible in conventional transmission electron microscopy images. Our experiments indicate that scanning transmission electron microscopy as a suitable tool for moiré analysis of twisted multilayer planar heterostructures, complementary to information provided by conventional transmission electron microscopy and diffraction.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":18501,"journal":{"name":"Micron","volume":"190 ","pages":"Article 103776"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2024-12-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142915232","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
MicronPub Date : 2024-12-26DOI: 10.1016/j.micron.2024.103781
Zelal Küçük , Sevcan Celenk
{"title":"Microscopic investigation of pollen attachment on different fabric types: Implications for forensic and allergy research","authors":"Zelal Küçük , Sevcan Celenk","doi":"10.1016/j.micron.2024.103781","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.micron.2024.103781","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Pollen grains, in addition to their allergenic properties, play an important role in the temporal and spatial analysis of forensic events and are considered secondary trace evidence. Pollen analysis requires expertise in microscopy techniques and palynology. This study aims to determine the persistence of pollen on common used fabric types and how much of it can be removed through washing. The structural properties of the tested pollen grains and fabrics were analyzed using light microscopy (LM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Additionally, the study aims to provide data to help individuals sensitive to allergenic pollens in selecting suitable fabrics. Pollen grains from <em>Ambrosia artemisiifolia</em>, <em>Chenopodium album</em>, <em>Corylus avellana</em>, <em>Parietaria officinalis</em>, and <em>Platanus × acerifolia</em>, which had not been tested in previous studies, were examined on five different fabric types commonly used in the textile industry: denim, artificial leather, lacoste cotton fabric, linen, and printed cotton fabric. It was determined that pollen adhesion capacity and persistence varied based on the fabric's structure and first wash was the most effective for removing pollen from fabrics. Removal of pollen grains through washing from linen, printed cotton fabric, and lacoste cotton fabric were found to be easier from denim and artificial leather. The study revealed that pollen could still be detected on fabrics even after six washes. This finding highlights the potential use of pollen grains as valuable trace evidence in forensic cases.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":18501,"journal":{"name":"Micron","volume":"190 ","pages":"Article 103781"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2024-12-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142927278","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
MicronPub Date : 2024-12-25DOI: 10.1016/j.micron.2024.103779
Fengjiao Niu , Zibo Ma , Yixuan Hao , Yajie Guo , Peng Cao
{"title":"Effect of pre-deformation on microstructure and mechanical properties of a fine-grained 2A97 alloy","authors":"Fengjiao Niu , Zibo Ma , Yixuan Hao , Yajie Guo , Peng Cao","doi":"10.1016/j.micron.2024.103779","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.micron.2024.103779","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study investigates the effect of pre-deformation by cold rolling after solution annealing on the microstructure and properties of the fine-grained Al-Li alloy 2A97. Electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) were used to characterize grain boundaries, dislocations, precipitates and calculate their contribution to strength. It is found that the changes in precipitation behavior predominantly account for the enhanced tensile properties observed in the deformed alloys, where yield and tensile strengths are increased by 85 MPa and 63 MPa, respectively. The peak-aged samples without pre-deformation are mainly strengthened by the T<sub>1</sub> phase, δ'/θ'/δ' composite and σ phase. In contrast, deformation of 10 % prior to aging facilitates the precipitation of the T<sub>1</sub> and lath-like S phases while concurrently inhibiting the precipitation of the σ phase and δ'/θ'/δ' composite phases. In addition, for fine-grained alloys, low-angle grain boundaries induce the precipitation of the finer T<sub>1</sub> phase compared to the T<sub>1</sub> phase located inside the grain, which contributes to the good performance of 2A97 alloy.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":18501,"journal":{"name":"Micron","volume":"190 ","pages":"Article 103779"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2024-12-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142895733","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
MicronPub Date : 2024-12-25DOI: 10.1016/j.micron.2024.103778
G.S. Chen , Y.T. He , W.Q. Ming , C.L. Wu , D. Van Dyck , J.H. Chen
{"title":"Fast STEM image simulation in low-energy transmission electron microscopy by the accurate Chen-van-Dyck multislice method","authors":"G.S. Chen , Y.T. He , W.Q. Ming , C.L. Wu , D. Van Dyck , J.H. Chen","doi":"10.1016/j.micron.2024.103778","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.micron.2024.103778","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The Chen-van-Dyck (CVD) formulation as a rigorous numerical solution to the Schrödinger equation has been demonstrated being the only accurate multislice method for calculating diffraction and imaging in low-energy transmission electron microscopy. The CVD formulation not only considers the forward scattering effects but also includes the backscattering effects. However, since its numerical computation has to be performed in real-space, the CVD method may suffer from divergence and inefficiency in computing time, especially when used for low-energy scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) image simulation. The present study investigates the influence of cutoff value and slice thickness on the accuracy and efficiency of STEM image simulation using this formula. The results show that a small cutoff value is required in the low-energy regime to ensure accuracy, especially for thick specimens. The optimal slice thickness can be predicted approximately by a simple equation. To speed up STEM imaging simulation by up to 17 times using the CVD formulation, a hybrid computation model incorporating multiple graphic process units (GPUs) is suggested, which is of great significance for quantitative STEM imaging in low-energy transmission electron microscopy. The significance of including backscattering effect in STEM image simulation is estimated in comparison with forward-scattering effect.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":18501,"journal":{"name":"Micron","volume":"190 ","pages":"Article 103778"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2024-12-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142910016","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
MicronPub Date : 2024-12-23DOI: 10.1016/j.micron.2024.103775
NaHyeon Hong , Minyoung Lee , Sungsu Kang , Jungwon Park
{"title":"Direct synthesis of multilayer graphene on a microscale ridge-patterned copper substrate","authors":"NaHyeon Hong , Minyoung Lee , Sungsu Kang , Jungwon Park","doi":"10.1016/j.micron.2024.103775","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.micron.2024.103775","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Graphene’s exceptional physical properties, such as high thermal conductivity and mechanical strength, have attracted significant interest for its integration in transistors and thermal interface materials. While achieving various conformations of graphene is desirable for such applications, synthesizing graphene with target conformations remains a challenge. In this work, we present a method for synthesizing multilayer graphene with ridged conformations, using a microscale ridge-patterned copper (Cu) layer that was epitaxially deposited on a sapphire substrate. The Cu layer, patterned with channels using photolithography, guides the graphene growth to conform to the ridged structure of the Cu substrate. Uniform ridged multilayer graphene is grown on the Cu substrate, and can be transferred to transmission electron microscope (TEM) grids for observation. This method offers the potential for the controlled formation of ridge patterns in graphene and could be extended to synthesizing graphene with tunable conformations for applications in graphene-based devices, electrodes, or graphene grids for graphene liquid cells and cryogenic electron microscopy for high-throughput imaging.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":18501,"journal":{"name":"Micron","volume":"190 ","pages":"Article 103775"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2024-12-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142895711","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
MicronPub Date : 2024-12-22DOI: 10.1016/j.micron.2024.103777
Min Zhang , Zihao Li , Muhammad Touqeer , Shuai Dong , Kesen Zhao , Aile Wang , Ze Wang , Jing Zhang , Jihao Wang , Wenjie Meng , Qiyuan Feng , Yalin Lu , Yubin Hou , Qingyou Lu
{"title":"Stabilization of nanoscale magnetic bubbles in zero magnetic field by rotatable magnetic force microscopy","authors":"Min Zhang , Zihao Li , Muhammad Touqeer , Shuai Dong , Kesen Zhao , Aile Wang , Ze Wang , Jing Zhang , Jihao Wang , Wenjie Meng , Qiyuan Feng , Yalin Lu , Yubin Hou , Qingyou Lu","doi":"10.1016/j.micron.2024.103777","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.micron.2024.103777","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The Stabilization of bubble magnetic textures in zero magnetic field has garnered significant attention due to its potential application in spintronic devices. Herein, we employed a home-built rotatable magnetic force microscopy (MFM) to observe the evolution of magnetic domains in NiO/Ni/Ti thin films. Magnetic stripe domains decay into isolated magnetic bubbles under an out-of-plane magnetic field at 100 K, and magnetic stripes reappear when the external magnetic field is reduced to zero. By rotating the sample within an external magnetic field of 0.42 T, the magnetic stripes transform into nanoscale magnetic bubble domains. This transition is driven by the minimization of the magnetostatic energy, accompanied by an increase in both the exchange energy and the Zeeman energy. The classical ferromagnetic Heisenberg model effectively describes the magnetic stripe-to-bubble transition under an applied magnetic field. The dense bubble domains remain stable in zero magnetic field due to long-range magnetostatic interaction. We introduce a straightforward method for constructing bubble domains in a zero magnetic field. This work presents a promising material platform for the future development of bubble-based spintronic devices.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":18501,"journal":{"name":"Micron","volume":"190 ","pages":"Article 103777"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2024-12-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142895809","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
MicronPub Date : 2024-12-21DOI: 10.1016/j.micron.2024.103780
Laura Tormo , Marta M. Furio , Ana I. Camacho
{"title":"Exploring the potential of cryo-FESEM for the taxonomic study of aquatic microcrustaceans: Bathynellacea (Crustacea, Malacostraca) as an example","authors":"Laura Tormo , Marta M. Furio , Ana I. Camacho","doi":"10.1016/j.micron.2024.103780","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.micron.2024.103780","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The taxonomic study of microcrustaceans is a time consuming and challenging endeavor, which has slowed the rate of new discoveries, and in turn knowledge on, global aquatic biodiversity. To facilitate the study of these small organisms, new applications continually need to be explored. Here, we assess the potential use of environmental scanning electron microscopy (ESEM) techniques, specifically cryo-field emission SEM (cryo-FESEM), for taxonomic descriptions of microcrustaceans. Using a species of Parabathynellidae (Crustacea, Bathynellacea) from groundwater as a case study, we found sample preparation for cryo-FESEM to be relatively rapid and minimal compared with traditional preparation methods. The high-definition images obtained using this technique complement the drawings and digital photographs obtained using light microscopy (at 1000x). Moreover, the ability to obtain higher magnification images (up to 100,000x) allowed for a detailed observation of ultrastructures, revealing the presence of previously unreported structures in the family Parabathynellidae, including small denticles on the teeth of the dentate lobe of the male thoracopod VIII. Unfortunately, cryo-FESEM samples are too fragile to recover post-imaging and therefore cannot, at present, replace current taxonomic methods that allow for the preservation of samples, specifically holotypes and type series specimens, for future study. For cases in which many specimens are available for study, cryo-FESEM serves as a good method to supplement traditional methods to provide a more detailed description and understanding of the external morphology of a species.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":18501,"journal":{"name":"Micron","volume":"190 ","pages":"Article 103780"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2024-12-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142895677","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
MicronPub Date : 2024-12-17DOI: 10.1016/j.micron.2024.103774
Andrew A. Herzing , Joshua A. Taillon
{"title":"ETSpy: A HyperSpy extension package for electron tomography data processing and reconstruction","authors":"Andrew A. Herzing , Joshua A. Taillon","doi":"10.1016/j.micron.2024.103774","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.micron.2024.103774","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Electron tomography is a powerful tool for the three-dimensional characterization of materials at the nano- and atomic-scales. A typical workflow for tomography involves several pre-processing steps that may include spatial binning, image registration, and tilt-axis alignment depending upon the nature of the acquired data. Here we describe the capabilities of a new, open-source software package named ETSpy that builds upon the widely used HyperSpy package. The basic usage of the software and some specific applications are presented.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":18501,"journal":{"name":"Micron","volume":"190 ","pages":"Article 103774"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2024-12-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143029163","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
MicronPub Date : 2024-12-13DOI: 10.1016/j.micron.2024.103773
Elżbieta Weryszko-Chmielewska, Aneta Sulborska-Różycka
{"title":"Myosotis scorpioides L. (Boraginaceae) floral nectary: Micromorphology, fluorescence, and ultrastructure","authors":"Elżbieta Weryszko-Chmielewska, Aneta Sulborska-Różycka","doi":"10.1016/j.micron.2024.103773","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.micron.2024.103773","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The small flowers of <em>Myosotis scorpioides</em> are pollinated by various groups of insects feeding on their nectar accumulating at the base of the corolla tube. To date, only few studies have focused on the anatomy and ultrastructure of nectaries in plants from the family Boraginaceae. The aim of this study was to analyse the structure of the <em>M. scorpioides</em> nectary at different levels of organisation, with special emphasis on its ultrastructure, which has not been investigated so far. The studies were carried out with the use of light, fluorescence, scanning electron, and transmission electron microscopes. Undulated discoidal nectaries with a diameter of up to 0.9 mm and a height of about 0.2 mm were localised at the ovary base. There were numerous nectarostomata on the top and abaxial surfaces of the nectary. Phenolic compounds present in the nectary exhibited autofluorescence. The ultrastructural studies of nectary epidermis and secretory parenchyma cells revealed the presence of thin cell walls, different-sized vacuoles, medium-sized nuclei, plasmodesmata in the cell walls, and various types of chromoplasts. Numerous mitochondria were visible in close proximity to the plastids. Additionally, clusters of dictyosomes, well-developed rough ER profiles, and numerous ribosomes and different-sized vesicles often located near the cell walls were observed. Our study conducted at the subcellular level indicated high metabolic activity of the <em>M. scorpioides</em> nectary. The presence of phenolic compounds in the nectary may both serve as a protection of this part of the flower against biological factors and contribute to the intensification of the floral scent acting as a pollinator attractant.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":18501,"journal":{"name":"Micron","volume":"190 ","pages":"Article 103773"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2024-12-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142854686","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
MicronPub Date : 2024-12-04DOI: 10.1016/j.micron.2024.103761
Gregory Nordahl , Sivert Dagenborg , Andrea D’Alessio , Eric Brand , Nikolas Vitaliti , Felix Trier , Daesung Park , Nini Pryds , Jørgen Sørhaug , Magnus Nord
{"title":"On the effect of precession for magnetic differential phase contrast imaging","authors":"Gregory Nordahl , Sivert Dagenborg , Andrea D’Alessio , Eric Brand , Nikolas Vitaliti , Felix Trier , Daesung Park , Nini Pryds , Jørgen Sørhaug , Magnus Nord","doi":"10.1016/j.micron.2024.103761","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.micron.2024.103761","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The separation of diffraction effects from phase contrast is a major challenge for differential phase contrast (DPC) imaging in scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM). The application of electron beam precession has previously been proven successful in homogenizing the direct beam and improving the imaging of both long-range electric and magnetic fields. However, magnetic STEM-DPC imaging performed in a low magnification (LM) STEM mode suffers from significant aberrations of the probe forming lens and the consequent impediment of small precession angles. By investigating the application of precession path segmentation to LM-STEM precessed scans for the imaging of LSMO and FeAl thin film samples, the initially reported benefits of precession were discovered to be less substantial than originally assumed. The segmentation methodology reveals that precession induced beam phase shifts account for a large part of the DPC induction profile smoothing, and the precession path is non-circular, leading to streaking artifacts in the reconstructed induction maps.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":18501,"journal":{"name":"Micron","volume":"190 ","pages":"Article 103761"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2024-12-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142818606","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}