SPINODAL DECOMPOSITION IN TIO2.SNO2 STUDIED BY 1 MV HRTEM

The initial stage of the spinodal decomposition in a TiO//2. SnO//2(1:1) compound has been examined using 1 MV high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM). Crystal structure images reveal that the compositional fluctuation in the left bracket 001 right bracket direction occurs with a wavelength of about 70A. Since the darkness of the sites, which correspond to each row of metal atoms aligning along left bracket 010 right bracket , is related to the mixing ratio between Ti and Sn, the local compositional variation in each exsolved region is known directly from the image contrast.