Typology, morphology and connectivity of pore space in claystones from reference site for research using BIB, FIB and cryo-SEM methods

Abstract

Abstract. Detailed investigation of the morphology of the pore space in clay is a key factor in understanding the sealing capacity, coupled flows, capillary processes and associated deformation present in mudstones. Actually, the combination of ion milling tools (FIB and BIB), cryogenic techniques and SEM imaging offers a new alternative to study in-situ elusive microstructures in wet geomaterials and has the high potential to make a step change in our understanding of how fluids occur in pore space. By using this range of techniques, it is possible to quantify porosity, stabilize in-situ fluids in pore space, preserve the natural structures at nm-scale, produce high quality polished cross-sections for high resolution SEM imaging and reconstruct accurately microstructure networks in 3D by serial cross sectioning.

Opportunities and limits in imaging microorganisms and their activities in soil microhabitats

“…The localisation of microbial cells in 3D is possible either (i) by using the depth of field of the microscope (stereomicroscope, SEM, HIM, AFM), (ii) by reconstituting the sample in a non-destructive way using confocal laser scanning microscopy (Li et al, 2004), but due to the opacity of soil this is mainly useful in the analysis of transparent artificial soil models as in Sharma et al (2020), (iii) by progressively abrading the sample with a focused ion probe (FIB) (Berleman et al, 2016;Vidal et al, 2018), (iv) by reconstitution from thin sections: superimposed serial block face (SBF) sections or broad ion beam (BIB). However, the latter have been mainly used to study geo-materials (Desbois et al, 2010;Houben et al, 2013;Hemes et al, 2015).…”

Intact observation of secondary xylem and parenchyma cells in woody plants using a combination of scanning electron microscopy and broad argon ion beam milling

“…Therefore, the tomography technique using FIB-SEM is used for the 3D reconstruction of cell organelles 11,12 . However, FIB can process a small area, limiting the processing of large samples 13 . Therefore, a broad argon ion beam (BIB) milling technique is applied for cross-sectional analysis using SEM and is widely used for sampling hard material 14,15 .…”

A combination of scanning electron microscopy and broad argon ion beam milling provides intact structure of secondary tissues in woody plants

“…Therefore, tomography with FIB-SEM is used for the 3D reconstruction of cell organelles 21 , 22 . However, FIB can only process a small area, limiting its use for large samples 23 . Therefore, broad argon ion beam (BIB) milling can be applied to cross-sectional SEM analysis, and it is widely used for sampling hard materials 24 , 25 .…”