Transmission electron microscopy studies of the specific structure of crystals formed by phase transition in iron oxide amorphous films

The crystal growth and the structure of crystallised areas in amorphous iron oxide films prepared by pyrolysis is studied (in particular, in situ) by means of transmission electron microscopy. The bend-contour (BC) technique reveals an unusual phenomenon of regular internal bending of the lattice planes associated with a phase transition also observed earlier in some other amorphous films. The peculiarity of the crystals studied (transrotational crystals) is a very complex texture usually formed with a permanent rotation of [001] at the front of the growing crystals resulting in a variable change of imperfection and growth rate attributed to crystal anisotropy. (C) 2000 Acta Metallurgica Inc. Published by Elsevier Science Lid. All rights reserved.