Jem 2100 scanning electron microscope

The whole stomachs obtained from five fresh African catfishes were incised longitudinally to expose their luminal surfaces. Then the tissues were fixed in 2.5% glutaraldehyde in 0.2 M phosphate buffer (pH 7.3) and kept for 24 hours at 4°C. After fixation, the samples were rinsed in 0.2 M phosphate buffer, trimmed into 8–10 mm sections, and postfixed for 2 hours in 1% osmium tetroxide in 0.2 M phosphate buffer (pH 7.3). The tissues were then dehydrated in ascending series of acetone, cleared in isoamyl acetate, and critical point dried with carbon dioxide. The serosal surfaces of the cardiac, fundic, and pyloric portions were mounted on metal stubs with mucosal surface uppermost and the specimens were coated with gold using a vacuum gold coater. The specimens were examined with a JEOL/EO-JSM-6510 LV scanning electron microscope (Jeol JEM-2100 Scanning Electron Microscope Made in Japan) at the Faculty of Science, Beni-Suef University, Egypt.

X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns of the catalysts were obtained using a Rigaku ULTIMA IV diffractometer with high-intensity Cu/Kα radiation and a step scan technique at 2θ angles of 5–90°. The surface morphology of the catalyst was investigated using a JEOL JEM-2100 scanning electron microscope (SEM). Energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) was used to conduct the elemental analysis. The Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) method was utilized to measure the specific surface area and pore volume of the catalysts by means of Accelerated Surface Area and Porosity (ASAP 2010, Micromeritics). The pore-size distribution was assessed using the adsorption branch of the isotherm with the Barrett–Joyner–Halenda (BJH) method.