Radiation effects crystallinity loss

Low specimen temperature reduces the damage rate and crystalline material undergoes chemical change more slowly than amorphous material. Both effects can be explained by the reduced mobility of the molecules. Therefore it is to be expected that specimen coating, a physical restraint on the escape of material from the specimen should have a beneficial effect. The restraint normally used is a thin film of carbon on both sides of the specimen. This combines good physical properties with a comparatively small loss of contrast in the image. There are few data available on this procedure for the enhancement of radiation resistance. 

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