Low-energy-loss EFTEM imaging of thick particles and aggregates.

Electron spectroscopy imaging is a powerful tool for the elucidation of colloidal particle morphology and microchemistry, but it normally requires the use of very thin samples, typically less than 50 nm, to avoid the effects of multiple scattering. This work shows that many aspects of the internal morphology of thick particles and aggregates and the chemical component distribution are revealed using low-energy-loss electron imaging in the transmission electron microscope, benefiting from multiple scattering as well as small but significant differences in the low-energy-loss spectra of aggregate constituents. Low-loss images reveal morphological details of thick aggregates made out of colloidal polymers (natural rubber and styrene-acrylic latex) and inorganic particles (silica, montmorillonite, and aluminum phosphate) at a spatial resolution close to that achieved in the bright-field images and much better than in the elemental maps, showing the advantages of the simultaneous use of low-loss images and standard thin-cut elemental maps.

Cationic latex formation by ionic modification.

Stable cationic latices were prepared by charge inversion of anionic styrene-acrylic copolymer latices upon binding Al3+ and Fe3+ ions. This is achieved by stabilizing the latices with a high-HLB (hydrophile-lypophile balance) nonionic surfactant that imparts strong steric stability to the latex, even in the presence of high concentrations of multivalent counterions while these are bound to the latex anionic sites. The cationic latices thus prepared have good stability properties, and the same procedure should be applicable to essentially any latex-carrying anionic sites. Analytical ESI-TEM images show that particle-bound iron is concentrated at the particle borders, but it is also found in the particle bulk.

Nanocrystalline Domain Identification in Gold Films, by Backscattered Electron Imaging and Energy-Filtered Transmission Electron Microscopy.

Gold nanocrystallites dispersed in an inhomogeneous gold matrix are detected by high-resolution scanning electron microscopy using a field emission source and backscattered electron detection in the composition mode, as well as by energy-filtered transmission electron microscopy in the plasmon energy region. The identity of the nanocrystalline domains was established by observing the same evaporated gold film samples but using bright-field, dark-field, electron diffractogram, and electron energy loss spectroscopy images in the transmission electron microscope. Comparison of these images shows that backscattered electron and plasmon energy detection can be used to identify crystalline domains in an otherwise chemically uniform sample. Copyright 2001 Academic Press.