用电子显微镜寻找固态材料和蜡烛火焰中的未知小颗粒

Electron microscopy has a major advantage in directly imaging local structures of solids. Till now, our knowledge of formation mechanisms of many solid materials is still very limited. One of the reasons is that we know very little about the evolution of microstructures during the formation processes. In fact, there are often some small unknown particles in solid materials. They normally have a very low concentration and are easily ignored by people. It is difficult to detect them by using X-ray diffraction or other methods. However, they are important in understanding the formation of materials. This article demonstrates some recent electron microscopic observations of some hidden particles in solids and discusses their roles in the formation of the structures. Soot particles in candle flame are also examined by using a new sampling method.