Transmission electron microscopy of fluorapatite-gelatine composite particles prepared using focused ion beam milling
Authors: VOLKERT, C. A.; BUSCH, S.1; HEILAND, B.2; DEHM, G.2
Source: Journal of Microscopy, Volume 214, Number 3, June 2004 , pp. 208-212(5)
Publisher: Blackwell Publishing
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Abstract:
Summary In this paper, synthetic fluorapatite-gelatine composite particles are prepared for transmission electron microscopy (TEM) studies using two methods based on focused ion beam (FIB) milling. TEM studies on the FIB-prepared specimens are compared with TEM observations on samples prepared using an ultramicrotome. The results show that ultramicrotome slicing causes significant cracking of the apatite, whereas the ion beam can be used to make high-quality, crack-free specimens with no apparent ion beam-induced damage. The TEM observations on the FIB-prepared samples confirm that the fluorapatite composite particles are composed of elongated, preferentially orientated grains and reveal that the grain boundaries contain many small interstices filled with an amorphous phase.Keywords: Apatite; FIB; focused ion beam milling; TEM sample preparation; tooth enamel; ultramicrotomy
Document Type: Research article
DOI: 10.1111/j.0022-2720.2004.01352.x
Affiliations: 1: Max-Planck-Institut für Chemische Physik fester Stoffe, 01187 Dresden, Germany 2: Max-Planck-Institut für Metallforschung, 70569 Stuttgart, Germany
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