A brief history of TEM observations of plutonium and its alloys

Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) has proven to be a useful tool to investigate the morphological and crystallographic nature of plutonium metal and alloys. Its unique ability to provide direct visual as well as crystallographic information on a very fine scale has given new insight into the complex nature of plutonium. Because of the limited number of TEM observations performed to date, there is little doubt that this metal’s most intriguing microstructural secrets are yet to be revealed. For more information, contact T.G. Zocco, Los Alamos National Laboratory, NMT-10, Manufacturing Process Science and Technology Group, P.O. Box 1663, Mail Stop E506, Los Alamos, NM 87545; (505) 667-4481; fax (505) 667-8528; e-mail zocco@lanl.gov.