{"title":"Sequential conversion from line defects to atomic clusters in monolayer WS2","authors":"Gyeong Hee Ryu, Ren-Jie Chan","doi":"10.1186/s42649-020-00047-2","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s42649-020-00047-2","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Transition metal dichalcogenides (TMD), which is composed of a transition metal atom and chalcogen ion atoms, usually form vacancies based on the knock-on threshold of each atom. In particular, when electron beam is irradiated on a monolayer TMD such as MoS<sub>2</sub> and WS<sub>2</sub>, S vacancies are formed preferentially, and they are aligned linearly to constitute line defects. And then, a hole is formed at the point where the successively formed line defects collide, and metal clusters are also formed at the edge of the hole. This study reports a process in which the line defects formed in a monolayer WS<sub>2</sub> sheet expends into holes. Here, the process in which the W cluster, which always occurs at the edge of the formed hole, goes through a uniform intermediate phase is explained based on the line defects and the formation behavior of the hole. Further investigation confirms the atomic structure of the intermediate phase using annular dark field scanning transition electron microscopy (ADF-STEM) and image simulation.</p>","PeriodicalId":470,"journal":{"name":"Applied Microscopy","volume":"50 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-11-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1186/s42649-020-00047-2","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"5168205","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Stem cell behaviors on periodic arrays of nanopillars analyzed by high-resolution scanning electron microscope images","authors":"Jihun Kang, Eun-Hye Kang, Young-Shik Yun, Seungmuk Ji, In-Sik Yun, Jong-Souk Yeo","doi":"10.1186/s42649-020-00046-3","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s42649-020-00046-3","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The biocompatible polyurethane acrylate (PUA) nanopillars were fabricated by soft lithography using three different sizes of nanobeads (350, 500, and 1000?nm), and the human adipose-derived stem cells (hASCs) were cultured on the nanopillars. The hASCs and their various behaviors, such as cytoplasmic projections, migration, and morphology, were observed by high resolution images using a scanning electron microscope (SEM). With the accurate analysis by SEM for the controlled sizes of nanopillars, the deflections are observed at pillars fabricated with 350- and 500-nm nanobeads. These high-resolution images could offer crucial information to elucidate the complicated correlations between nanopillars and the cells, such as morphology and cytoplasmic projections.</p>","PeriodicalId":470,"journal":{"name":"Applied Microscopy","volume":"50 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-11-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1186/s42649-020-00046-3","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"4700253","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Scanning acoustic microscopy for material evaluation","authors":"Hyunung Yu","doi":"10.1186/s42649-020-00045-4","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s42649-020-00045-4","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Scanning acoustic microscopy (SAM) or Acoustic Micro Imaging (AMI) is a powerful, non-destructive technique that can detect hidden defects in elastic and biological samples as well as non-transparent hard materials. By monitoring the internal features of a sample in three-dimensional integration, this technique can efficiently find physical defects such as cracks, voids, and delamination with high sensitivity. In recent years, advanced techniques such as ultrasound impedance microscopy, ultrasound speed microscopy, and scanning acoustic gigahertz microscopy have been developed for applications in industries and in the medical field to provide additional information on the internal stress, viscoelastic, and anisotropic, or nonlinear properties. X-ray, magnetic resonance, and infrared techniques are the other competitive and widely used methods. However, they have their own advantages and limitations owing to their inherent properties such as different light sources and sensors.</p><p>This paper provides an overview of the principle of SAM and presents a few results to demonstrate the applications of modern acoustic imaging technology. A variety of inspection modes, such as vertical, horizontal, and diagonal cross-sections have been presented by employing the focus pathway and image reconstruction algorithm. Images have been reconstructed from the reflected echoes resulting from the change in the acoustic impedance at the interface of the material layers or defects. The results described in this paper indicate that the novel acoustic technology can expand the scope of SAM as a versatile diagnostic tool requiring less time and having a high efficiency.</p>","PeriodicalId":470,"journal":{"name":"Applied Microscopy","volume":"50 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-11-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1186/s42649-020-00045-4","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"4226738","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Ben Tordoff, Cheryl Hartfield, Andrew J. Holwell, Stephan Hiller, Marcus Kaestner, Stephen Kelly, Jaehan Lee, Sascha Müller, Fabian Perez-Willard, Tobias Volkenandt, Robin White, Thomas Rodgers
{"title":"The LaserFIB: new application opportunities combining a high-performance FIB-SEM with femtosecond laser processing in an integrated second chamber","authors":"Ben Tordoff, Cheryl Hartfield, Andrew J. Holwell, Stephan Hiller, Marcus Kaestner, Stephen Kelly, Jaehan Lee, Sascha Müller, Fabian Perez-Willard, Tobias Volkenandt, Robin White, Thomas Rodgers","doi":"10.1186/s42649-020-00044-5","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s42649-020-00044-5","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The development of the femtosecond laser (fs laser) with its ability to provide extremely rapid athermal ablation of materials has initiated a renaissance in materials science. Sample milling rates for the fs laser are orders of magnitude greater than that of traditional focused ion beam (FIB) sources currently used. In combination with minimal surface post-processing requirements, this technology is proving to be a game changer for materials research. The development of a femtosecond laser attached to a focused ion beam scanning electron microscope (LaserFIB) enables numerous new capabilities, including access to deeply buried structures as well as the production of extremely large trenches, cross sections, pillars and TEM H-bars, all while preserving microstructure and avoiding or reducing FIB polishing. Several high impact applications are now possible due to this technology in the fields of crystallography, electronics, mechanical engineering, battery research and materials sample preparation. This review article summarizes the current opportunities for this new technology focusing on the materials science megatrends of engineering materials, energy materials and electronics.</p>","PeriodicalId":470,"journal":{"name":"Applied Microscopy","volume":"50 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-10-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1186/s42649-020-00044-5","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"5022535","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Feng Wang, Trond R. Henninen, Debora Keller, Rolf Erni
{"title":"Noise2Atom: unsupervised denoising for scanning transmission electron microscopy images","authors":"Feng Wang, Trond R. Henninen, Debora Keller, Rolf Erni","doi":"10.1186/s42649-020-00041-8","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s42649-020-00041-8","url":null,"abstract":"<p>We propose an effective deep learning model to denoise scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) image series, named Noise2Atom, to map images from a source domain <span>(mathcal {S})</span> to a target domain <span>(mathcal {C})</span>, where <span>(mathcal {S})</span> is for our noisy experimental dataset, and <span>(mathcal {C})</span> is for the desired clear atomic images. Noise2Atom uses two external networks to apply additional constraints from the domain knowledge. This model requires no signal prior, no noise model estimation, and no paired training images. The only assumption is that the inputs are acquired with identical experimental configurations. To evaluate the restoration performance of our model, as it is impossible to obtain ground truth for our experimental dataset, we propose consecutive structural similarity (CSS) for image quality assessment, based on the fact that the structures remain much the same as the previous frame(s) within small scan intervals. We demonstrate the superiority of our model by providing evaluation in terms of CSS and visual quality on different experimental datasets.</p>","PeriodicalId":470,"journal":{"name":"Applied Microscopy","volume":"50 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-10-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1186/s42649-020-00041-8","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"4804463","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Yena Kwon, Byeong-Seon An, Yeon-Ju Shin, Cheol-Woong Yang
{"title":"Method of Ga removal from a specimen on a microelectromechanical system-based chip for in-situ transmission electron microscopy","authors":"Yena Kwon, Byeong-Seon An, Yeon-Ju Shin, Cheol-Woong Yang","doi":"10.1186/s42649-020-00043-6","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s42649-020-00043-6","url":null,"abstract":"<p>In-situ transmission electron microscopy (TEM) holders that employ a chip-type specimen stage have been widely utilized in recent years. The specimen on the microelectromechanical system (MEMS)-based chip is commonly prepared by focused ion beam (FIB) milling and ex-situ lift-out (EXLO). However, the FIB-milled thin-foil specimens are inevitably contaminated with Ga<sup>+</sup> ions. When these specimens are heated for real time observation, the Ga<sup>+</sup> ions influence the reaction or aggregate in the protection layer. An effective method of removing the Ga residue by Ar<sup>+</sup> ion milling within FIB system was explored in this study. However, the Ga residue remained in the thin-foil specimen that was extracted by EXLO from the trench after the conduct of Ar<sup>+</sup> ion milling. To address this drawback, the thin-foil specimen was attached to an FIB lift-out grid, subjected to Ar<sup>+</sup> ion milling, and subsequently transferred to an MEMS-based chip by EXLO. The removal of the Ga residue was confirmed by energy dispersive spectroscopy.</p>","PeriodicalId":470,"journal":{"name":"Applied Microscopy","volume":"50 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-10-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1186/s42649-020-00043-6","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"4591742","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Sublimable materials facilitate the TEM sample preparation of oil-soluble nanomaterials","authors":"Yu-Hao Deng","doi":"10.1186/s42649-020-00042-7","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s42649-020-00042-7","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Sample preparation is significantly important to the high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) characterization of nanomaterials. However, many general organic solvents can dissolve the necessary organic polymer support layer in TEM grid, which causes it difficult to obtain high-quality samples of oil-soluble nanomaterials. In this study, a new sample preparation method for oil-soluble nanomaterials has been developed by using the sublimable material as a transition layer. Experiments also show that there is no damage to TEM grids and high-quality HRTEM images can be obtained via this method. This approach paves the way to applicable HRTEM sample preparation of oil-soluble nanomaterials.</p>","PeriodicalId":470,"journal":{"name":"Applied Microscopy","volume":"50 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-09-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7818371/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"5132516","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Yan Sun, Seung-Min Lee, Bon-Jin Ku, Myung-Jin Moon
{"title":"Fine structure of the intercalated disc and cardiac junctions in the black widow spider Latrodectus mactans","authors":"Yan Sun, Seung-Min Lee, Bon-Jin Ku, Myung-Jin Moon","doi":"10.1186/s42649-020-00040-9","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s42649-020-00040-9","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Arthropods have an open circulatory system with a simple tubular heart, so it has been estimated that the contractile pumping structure of the cardiac muscle will be less efficient than that of vertebrates. Nevertheless, certain arthropods are known to have far superior properties and characteristics than vertebrates, so we investigated the fine structural features of intercalated discs and cardiac junctions of cardiac muscle cells in the black widow spider <i>Latrodectus mactans</i>. Characteristically, the spider cardiac muscle has typical striated features and represents a functional syncytium that supports multiple connections to adjacent cells by intercalated discs. Histologically, the boundary lamina of each sarcolemma connects to the basement membrane to form an elastic sheath, and the extracellular matrix allows the cells to be anchored to other tissues. Since the intercalated disc is also part of sarcolemma, it contains gap junctions for depolarization and desmosomes that keep the fibers together during cardiac muscle contraction. Furthermore, fascia adherens and macula adherens (desmosomes) were also identified as cell junctions in both sarcolemma and intercalated discs. To enable the coordinated heartbeat of the cardiac muscle, the muscle fibers have neuronal innervations by multiple axons from the motor ganglion.</p>","PeriodicalId":470,"journal":{"name":"Applied Microscopy","volume":"50 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-09-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1186/s42649-020-00040-9","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"5382339","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Methods to evaluate the twin formation energy: comparative studies of the atomic simulations and in-situ TEM tensile tests","authors":"Hong-Kyu Kim, Sung-Hoon Kim, Jae-Pyoung Ahn","doi":"10.1186/s42649-020-00039-2","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s42649-020-00039-2","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Deformation twinning, one of the major deformation modes in a crystalline material, has typically been analyzed using generalized planar fault energy <b>(</b>GPFE) curves. Despite the significance of these curves in understanding the twin nucleation and its effect on the mechanical properties of crystals, their experimental validity is lacking. In this comparative study based on the first-principles calculation, molecular dynamics simulation, and quantitative in-situ tensile testing of Al nanowires inside a transmission electron microscopy system, we present both a theoretical and an experimental approach that enable the measurement of a part of the twin formation energy of the perfect Al crystal. The proposed experimental method is also regarded as an indirect but quantitative means for validating the GPFE theory.</p>","PeriodicalId":470,"journal":{"name":"Applied Microscopy","volume":"50 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-09-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1186/s42649-020-00039-2","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"4996313","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Microscopic research on the olfactory organ of the Far Eastern brook lamprey Lethenteron reissneri (Pisces, Petromyzontidae)","authors":"Hyun-Tae Kim, Jong-Young Park","doi":"10.1186/s42649-020-00038-3","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s42649-020-00038-3","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The olfactory anatomy and histology of <i>Lethenteron reissneri</i> were researched using a stereo microscope, a light microscope, and a scanning electron microscope. As in other lampreys, it shows same characters as follows: i) a single olfactory organ, ii) a single tubular nostril, iii) a single olfactory chamber with gourd-like form, iv) a nasal valve, v) a nasopharyngeal pouch, vi) a sensory epithelium (SE) of continuous distribution, vii) a supporting cells with numerous long cilia, viii) an accessory olfactory organ. However, the description of a pseudostratified columnar layer in the SE and Non SE is a first record, not reported in sea lamprey <i>Petromyzon marinus</i>. In particular, both 19 to 20 lamellae in number and olfactory receptor neuron’s quarter ciliary length of the knob diameter differ from those of <i>P. marinus</i>. From these results, it might be considered that the olfactory organ of <i>L. reissneri</i> shows well adaptive structure of a primitive fish to slow flowing water with gravel, pebbles, and sand and a hiding habit into sand bottom at daytime. The lamellar number and neuron’s ciliary length may be a meaningful taxonomic character for the class Petromyzonida.</p>","PeriodicalId":470,"journal":{"name":"Applied Microscopy","volume":"50 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-09-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1186/s42649-020-00038-3","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"4922322","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}