Inspect microscope

Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images were obtained on a FEI Inspect microscope with Tungsten filament, operating at 25 kV. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images were obtained on FEI CM20 microscope operating at 200 kV, equipped with a Gatan GIF200 Energy Filter utilized for EF-TEM elemental mapping.

Small fragments of covers dominated by liverworts and mosses were processed for scanning electron microscopy in backscattered electron mode (SEM-BSE), following the methodology described in Wierzchos and Ascaso [59 (link)]. The samples were fixed in glutaraldehyde (3% v/v) and osmium tetroxide solutions (1% w/v), dehydrated in a graded ethanol series (from 30 to 100% v/v) and embedded in LR White resin. Blocks of resin-embedded rock-colonized samples were finely polished, carbon-coated, and observed using a FEI INSPECT microscope.

The geometry characterization and size distribution of produced NPs were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). SEM measurements were performed by an Inspect microscope (FEI Company, Hillsboro, OR, USA) with an accelerating voltage of 20 kV in mode of secondary electrons detection. The quantitative composition analyses of NPs was performed by energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX). Analyzed hybrid NPs were located onto carbon tape and investigated by a transmission electron microscope (Libra 200FE, Zeiss, Carl Zeiss AG, Oberkochen, Germany) in STEM mode with 20 nm spatial resolution.

A scanning electron (SEM) microscope (Thermo Fisher Scientific, FEI, Hillsboro, OR, USA)was used with an FEI Inspect microscope that works on 25 kV. The X-ray Diffraction (XRD) measurements were conducted with a powder crystallographer of the SIEMENS D-500 equipped with a CuKa wave lamp of 1.5418 Å. The thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) measurements were performed with a Perkin Elmer (Pyris Diamand S II) analyzer (Agilent, Santa-Clara, CA, USA) heating at a rate of 10 °C min⁻¹ in the presence of ambient air. The electrochemical behavior of the coatings was investigated with a frequency response analysis (FRA) Solartron ModuLab XM MTS system acquired using the ModuLab System operating and analysis software (Solartron, AMETEK, Version 2.1.5302 2014, Wokingham, UK). This equipment was connected to an electrochemical cell made of plexiglass with dimensions of about 10 × 10 × 10 cm³. We examined the sample on one vertical wall of the electrochemical cell communicating with the 0.5 M NaCl solution via a circular opening hole (1 cm²). The samples were exposed to the above salt solution for 30, 60, 90, and 180 h at ambient temperature and evaluated electrochemically. The electrochemical cell also housed a flat platinum foil with 1 cm × 1 cm and a reference electrode (RE) in saturated solution KCl (SCE Hg/HgCl saturated KCl).