Published online by Cambridge University Press: 26 February 2011
Transmission electron microscopy techniques were applied to investigate the structure of interfaces between noble metals and NiO. Interfaces between NiO and Pt or Cu were formed by diffusion bonding. NiO and Cu form aligned lattices, while no unique topotactical relationship was found for the NiO-Pt interfaces. Internal reduction of (Ni,Cu)O was also used to investigate NiO-Cu interfaces at polyhedral Cu precipitates in a NiO matrix. The morphology and compositions of precipitates was studied for several reduction treatments. The formation of largely (111) interfaces during solid state reduction suggests that these planes of densest packing are associated with the lowest interfacial free energy. The quite large lattice mismatch is accommodated by misfit dislocations as observed by HREM.