Air-lock system for the transfer of reactive samples to the Philips EM 300S electron microscope

An air-look system has been developed in order to transfer reactive samples under vacuum from any preparation facility to the high-resolution stage of the Philips EM 300S electron microscope. The system has been tested using the highly hygroscopic material strontium chloride prepared in the form of small particles. Based on the shape of the particles and the associated diffraction pattern, it has been shown that the air-lock transfer system effectively prevents hydration in the case of small SrCl(2) particles.