Published online by Cambridge University Press: 21 February 2011
The deposition of glass films on thin ceramic substrates is a novel method for investigation of the initial stages of liquid infiltration into the grain boundaries of these materials. By maintaining electron transparency at all stages of the experiment, the transmission electron microscope (TEM) can be used to characterize individual grain boundaries before and after penetration by a liquid. The method has been tested for the MgO and AI2O3 systems, which have extensively studied experimental counterparts in which the corresponding bulk materials are infiltrated by a siliceous liquid.