Mammalian oocytes present challenges for optimal study by electron microscopy (EM) due to their high level of hydration, their large size, and their relatively undifferentiated cytoplasm. This is particularly true for immunoprobe localization which has led to a dependence on light microscopic (LM) techniques, such as immunofluorescence. This study presents correlative LM and EM data to describe an example of the failure of light microscopy to correctly predict the ultrastructure of one particular organelle. Immunoprobe localization of centrosome and microtubule organizing center (MTOC) antigens in the mammalian egg was made by immunofluorescence and post-embedding immuno-EM, with best EM results achieved in Lowicryl-embedded material. Centrosome and MTOC antigens were detected by 5051 and an antibody to gamma tubulin (γtubulin). Gamma tubulin is a highly conserved element of MTOCs in many species and, thus, is highly diagnostic for them; it is also considered essential for microtubule (MT) nucleation. Results indicate that prior to nuclear breakdown, 5051 antigens and γ-tubulin are found exclusively in a type of “organelle,” the multivesicular aggregate (MVA), that bears no resemblance to MTOCs at the ultrastructural level. Until recently, the MVA was considered an organelle without a known function, while standard MTOCs were presumed to be the entities that carry the proteins recognized by centrosome antibodies. LM localization of centrosomal antigens carried the presumption that standard MTOCs were the entities labeled. Whether or not other molecules are shown to co-localize to these MVA, the presence of γ-tubulin supports the contention that MVA, or their contents, serve as centrosomal precursors with a unique ultrastructure. Thus, dependence on LM techniques alone can lead to erroneous conclusions on organelle identity and function.

At the species level, bryozoans (class Phylactolaemata) in the family Plumatellidae are difficult to organize taxonomically. Of principal concern is the absence of consistent distinguishing features due mainly to plasticity of the group, a common problem with soft-bodied invertebrates. Yet, within the last three decades, analysis of distinctive chitinous statoblasts—using scanning electron microscopy—has resolved certain taxonomic questions. I examined statoblasts from 30 similar collections, the majority from the midwestern United States, and identified four distinct subgroups. Also, nine new statoblast surface features were identified: fold, polar grooves, bead, cave, demarcation, parasutural zone, ridge, sutural band, and sutural knob. The surface features of floating statoblasts (floatoblasts) provide useful data for species identification. Most consistently useful in plumatellids is a suture which varies from one species to the next. Mound-like tubercles and net-like ridges are next in the extent of variability. Finally, folds and polar grooves are present but vary even within floatoblasts from the same colony. Analysis of the suture in Plumatella fungosa, over a 5-day germination period, reveals all features at the site remain intact regardless of the initial age of the floatoblast. Only the suture line itself splits lengthwise to permit emergence of the new animal.

While the idea of electron holography has been around for over 50 years, the technology necessary to establish a window to the phase world is only now becoming available. This is the first report of an all digital system for displaying the image phase continuously and live, instead of looking at one frame at a time after initiation of the reconstruction procedure. The technical requirements, including the necessary image processing steps which differ from the standard reconstruction procedure for single frame holograms, will be discussed, and current time demands for image acquisition and the different elements of image processing will be laid out. The modified requirements for continuous, live processing will be discussed in detail, and images obtained in the live mode will be shown.

A focused ion beam (FIB) technique was applied to cross-sectional specimen preparation to observe an interface between a plasma sprayed coating and an aluminum (Al) substrate by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The surface of the sprayed coating film has a roughness of several tens of microns. Sputter rates for the coating film and the substrate are greatly different. The rough surface and the difference in sputter rate cause problems in making TEM specimens with smooth side walls. The top surface of the coating film was planerized by the FIB before fabricating the TEM specimen. The interfaces were investigated by TEM and energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX) analysis. The TEM observation revealed that there is a 10 nm thick amorphous layer at the interface between the coating film and substrate. The coating film consists of two kinds of sublayers with bright and dark contrast. The bright contrast sublayers were amorphous layers with thickness of 2~10 nm. The Al/Fe X-ray intensity ratio was larger in bright contrast sublayers than that in dark contrast sublayers.

Nanomaterials have attracted a great deal of research interest recently. The small size of nanostructures constrains the applications of well-established testing and measurement techniques, thus new methods and approaches must be developed for quantitative measurement of the properties of individual nanostructures. This article reports our progress in using in situ transmission electron microscopy to measure the electrical, mechanical, and field-emission properties of individual carbon nanotubes whose microstructure is well-characterized. The bending modulus of a single carbon nanotube has been measured by an electric field-induced resonance effect. A nanobalance technique is demonstrated that can be applied to measure the mass of a tiny particle as light as 22 fg (1 fg = 10−15 g), the smallest balance in the world. Quantum conductance was observed in defect-free nanotubes, which led to the transport of a superhigh current density at room temperature without heat dissipation. Finally, the field-emission properties of a single carbon nanotube are observed, and the field-induced structural damage is reported.

Reliability of thermal barrier coatings (TBC) hinges on the adhesion of a thermally grown oxide scale to an insulative ceramic topcoat and an underlying metallic bondcoat. The width of the scale and its interfaces makes transmission electron microscopy (TEM) an appropriate tool for its analysis. However, specimen preparation has proven to be a challenging obstacle leading to a dearth of TEM research on TBCs. A new approach to cross-section TBC TEM specimen preparation is described. The principal advantages of this technique are reproducibility, reduced specimen damage, and time savings resulting from decreased ion milling. This technique has been successfully applied to numerous TBC specimens with various thermal histories.

We report detailed experimental results on the electrochemical selective etching of doped Si. By using transmission electron microscopy analyses and spreading resistance measurements we investigated the dependence of the etching selectivity on the different parameters of the electrochemical cell, i.e., bias voltage and chemical solution. In B-doped samples immersed in buffered HF, the increase of bias voltage from 0.5 to 1 V produces a slight improvement of the etching selectivity and a B concentration as low as 1 × 1017 cm−3 can be successfully delineated at 1 V. A further improvement is achieved by using HF:HNO3:CH3COOH or HF:HCl chemical mixtures for which the delineation sensitivity approaches the value of 1 × 1016 cm−3. In buffered HF As-doped regions can be delineated to a concentration of 2 × 1017 cm−3, independently of the bias voltage, in the range 2–4 V. These results were used to measure the 2D doping diffusion profiles in silicon wafers patterned with polycrystalline Si strips and implanted with As or B, by using different tilt and twist angles. The high resolution of the electrochemical delineation allowed us to evaluate very accurately the effects of the implant angles on the lateral doping distribution.