Quanta 200 3d system

The granulometric composition of initial powder was studied using a laser particle size analyzer, Analysette 22 NanoTec plus (Fritsch, Idar-Oberstein, Germany). Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) studies were performed on a Quanta 200 3D system (FEI Company, Hillsboro, OR, USA). Surface roughness parameters, such as maximum deviation R_z and average roughness R_a, were found using optical profilometry (MNP-1 tool from Technological Design Institute of Scientific Instrument Engineering, Siberian Branch of RAS, Russia) and the instrument’s original software. X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns of the samples were recorded on an XRD 6000 diffractometer (Shimadzu, Kyoto, Japan) within the range of 2θ = 20–100° at a sampling rate of 0.02°/s using CuKα radiation. The PDF-4 database and Powder Cell 2.5 software, equipped with pseudo-Voigt profile functions, were used in phase analysis.

Environmental-Scanning Electron Microscopy (E-SEM) was conducted on samples of control, dehydrated and rehydrated larvae on FEI Quanta 200 3D system, The Netherlands. Specimens were directly mounted on Peltier cooling stubs covered with carbon black tape. E-SEM was carried out without any experimental procedures unlike the conventional SEM protocol. Analysis was carried out on low vacuum mode and low accelerating voltage at 20 kV. All micrographs were captured using xT Microscope Server (version 1.7.3).

A 35 nm thick Au film has been deposited by means of electron beam evaporation on the cleaved end of a standard single mode optical fiber (Corning SMF-28). A thin (~2 nm) chromium film has been used for improving adhesion. The square lattice of holes has been patterned on gold film by using the FEI Quanta 200 3D system. Beam currents and accelerating voltages have been set to 30 pA and 30 kV respectively.