Exsolution Lamellae
Exsolution Lamellae - Related Videos
07:00
Preparing Lamellae from Vitreous Biological Samples Using a Dual-Beam Scanning Electron Microscope for Cryo-Electron Tomography
0 Views •
Cited by 8 •
2021
Using focused ion beam milling to produce vitreous on-grid lamellae from plunge frozen biological samples for cryo-electron tomography.
08:29
Workflow Using a Cryogenic Coincident Fluorescence, Electron, and Ion Beam Microscope for Targeted Milling of Cells
0 Views •
Cited by 2 •
2025
This workflow enables lamella production targeting fluorescently labeled biological structures that are small (<1 μm in axial extent) and rare (1 copy per cell) using a cryogenic tri-coincident imaging platform. This platform integrates fluorescence microscopy, focused ion beam milling, and scanning electron microscopy at a single focal position and enables simultaneous fluorescence microscopy while milling.
10:54
Cryo-electron Microscopy Specimen Preparation By Means Of a Focused Ion Beam
0 Views •
Cited by 5 •
2014
Cryo Electron Microscopes, either Scanning (SEM) or Transmission (TEM), are widely used for characterization of biological samples or other materials with a high water content1. A SEM/Focused Ion Beam (FIB) is used to identify features of interest in samples and extract a thin, electron-transparent lamella for transfer to a cryo-TEM.
11:17
Spark Plasma Sintering Apparatus Used for the Formation of Strontium Titanate Bicrystals
0 Views •
Cited by 5 •
2017
A viable technique for the formation of strontium titanate bicrystals at high pressure and fast heating rate via the spark plasma sintering apparatus is developed.
08:34
Visualization of High Speed Liquid Jet Impaction on a Moving Surface
0 Views •
Cited by 4 •
2015
Two experimental devices for examining liquid jet impingement on a high-speed moving surface are described: an air cannon device and a spinning disk device. The apparatuses are used to determine optimal approaches to the application of liquid friction modifier (LFM) onto rail tracks for top-of-rail friction control.
FAQs
A mineral remains homogeneous only while its solid solution is stable under existing conditions. Cooling or changes in pressure and composition can disturb that stability, prompting atoms to diffuse over short distances and separate into phases with different compositions or crystal structures. The resulting separation preserves information about the conditions experienced as the mineral and rock evolved.
The separated phases may retain a crystallographic relationship with the host mineral, producing coherent intergrowths rather than randomly distributed grains. Their thin, regular geometry and consistent orientation reflect how the crystal structures accommodate one another during phase separation. These features help distinguish a structured mineral history from less organized compositional variation within a rock.
Lamellar geometry and composition depend on the conditions that destabilize the original solid solution, including cooling, pressure, and overall composition. They also reflect the crystal structures and chemical differences of the phases that separate. Because these characteristics respond to mineral history, researchers can use them together rather than treating layer shape or chemistry as isolated observations.
An initially uniform solid solution contains its components within one homogeneous phase, whereas exsolution produces distinct phases with different compositions or crystal structures. The transition occurs when the original arrangement becomes unstable and atoms redistribute over short distances. This contrast allows the resulting intergrowth to record a later stage of mineral adjustment during rock evolution.
Researchers interpret lamellae geometry and composition as records of the mineral’s changing environment. Their characteristics can help estimate cooling conditions and reconstruct the geological settings through which igneous and metamorphic rocks developed. The approach is especially useful when the intergrowth preserves evidence of compositional or structural adjustment that is not apparent from the bulk rock alone.
Feldspars, pyroxenes, and oxide minerals are common hosts for these textures. Examining their lamellae can contribute to interpretations of igneous and metamorphic rock evolution because the intergrowths preserve mineral-scale evidence of changing conditions. Their occurrence across these mineral groups also makes the texture relevant to more than one rock-forming mineral system.
Their geometry and composition can influence mineral strength, reactivity, and the movement of elements through natural systems. Consequently, these textures are relevant not only as records of cooling and geological history, but also as features that may affect how minerals behave in their surroundings. Their study connects mineral structure with the broader evolution and functioning of rocks in natural environments.