In gC3N4 (graphitic carbon nitride), XRD results reveal the formation peaks corresponding to the 002 planes, which reveal a crystalline phase. But when we examine the interference pattern and SAED pattern images from HRTEM we can't find the lattice interference for gC3N4, which appears to be amorphous.
what could be the reason for this? how can the HRTEM be interrelated to XRD peak formation?
Dear friend Roshan Chandrapal R
The reason why you observe XRD peaks for gC3N4 but not lattice interference patterns in HRTEM images could be due to the presence of a crystalline phase in the bulk material, but the surface of the material may be amorphous. The XRD peaks are obtained from the bulk of the material and provide information about its crystallographic structure, while the HRTEM image provides information about the local arrangement of atoms in the material.
It is possible that the surface of the gC3N4 material has undergone surface reconstruction, which results in the formation of an amorphous layer. This could be due to the exposure of the material to high temperatures, reactive environments, or other processing conditions. The amorphous layer can prevent the diffraction of electrons in HRTEM and thus, no lattice interference patterns are observed.
The XRD peak positions and intensities are related to the crystallographic structure and orientation of the sample, whereas the HRTEM image provides information on the arrangement of atoms on a nanometer scale. Both techniques provide complementary information about the structure of the material. For example, the XRD pattern provides information about the long-range ordering of the crystal structure, while HRTEM can reveal defects, interfaces, and local ordering in the material.
In summary, the observation of XRD peaks for gC3N4 indicates the presence of a crystalline phase in the bulk of the material, while the absence of lattice interference patterns in HRTEM images could be due to the presence of an amorphous layer on the surface of the material. Both XRD and HRTEM techniques provide complementary information about the structure of the material and can be used to study the crystallographic and nanoscale features of the material.
Please check the fully-ready preprint article DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.27720.65287/3, Title: Qualitative Analyses of Thin Film-Based Materials Validating New Structures of Atoms
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