Zerst�rung von Topas und anderen Mineralen im Elektronenmikroskop

Abstract

Hydroxyl bearing topaz suffers beam-damage in the electron microscope. Irradiation by the beam rapidly produces contrast from strain fields around small needle-shaped pores about 2–5 nm wide and 30–120 nm long, produced by the loss of hydrogen as water and/or hydrogen fluoride. In the majority of cases the damage ceases after a short period of time, and the topaz electron diffraction pattern remains apparently unchanged. In a few cases complete breakdown of the topaz occurs to produce mullite and/or fine-grained γ-alumina, the latter usually being sputtered onto the carbon support film. The different degrees of breakdown which are found in the electron beam are similar to reactions which occur on heating in air. Although the main factor which determines the degree of beam-induced damage which occurs is believed to be temperature, the heating effect of the beam is alone unlikely to cause the reactions. The lowering of reaction temperature is attributed to mechanically induced enhancement of diffusion in the electron beam and to the weakening of chemical bonds by ionisation effects. The strain fields found in topaz were also produced in samples of humite and apatite observed in the electron microscope, and the formation of fine-grained metal oxides was found in several silicates and phosphates.