The study of MCM-41 molecular sieves by energy-filtering TEM

Energy-filtered transmission electron microscopy (EFTEM) was used to examine the distribution of silicon as T-atoms in mesoporous MCM-41 molecular sieves. At nanometer-sized resolution, the Si distribution image derived from electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS) with Gatan imaging filter (GIF) was found to be ordered and correlated well to the hexagonal array of the one-dimensional channels of MCM-41. In addition, the pore-to-pore distance and the wall thickness of MCM-41 (determined by Si distribution map) are in good agreement with those derived from X-ray diffraction and N₂ adsorption methods.