Abstract
In order to analyse the internal structures of multi-component fluid materials, such as emulsions including the interparticle spacing by cryo-scanning electron microscopy (cryo-SEM), it is necessary to not only physically fix the form of the material, and also to observe over a wide area of a fix surface. In this study, we developed a system that involves the following three steps: (1) fixing a hydrated material embedded in vitreous ice by rapid freezing method, such as high - pressure freezing or immersion freezing [ 1-3 ]; (2) preparing a frozen cross-sectional surface ablated by cryo- ultramicrotomy [ 4 ]; and (3) transferring the cross-sectioned specimen into a cryo-SEM via a cryo-transfer system for direct cryo-SEM observation. Herein, we report the direct observation of the cross-sectional surface of an emulsion adhesive by our newly developed cryo-SEM system. Using the proposed freeze-fixation technique with vitreous ice embedding, we were able to observe the structural changes occurring in water-soluble emulsion adhesives during drying. We could also directly observe the moisture state without vapour deposition. In the near future, we expect that this method will be applied to analyse phase-separated structures for mixed emulsions with two or more components, fluid samples containing multi-layered structures, and mixed fluid bodies of water and organic solvents, such as ink. The newly developed cryo-SEM system should contribute greatly to the structural analyses of these materials during the drying process after being coated.
Published Version
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