Cryo-based atom probe tomography has been applied to directly reveal the water-solid interface and hydrated corrosion layers making up the nanoscale porous structure of a corroded borosilicate glass in its native aqueous environment. The analysis includes morphology and compositional mapping of the inner gel/glass interface, isolation of a tomographic sub-volume of the tortuous water-filled gel, and comparison of the gel structure with simulations. The nanoscale porous structure is qualitatively consistent with that of the molecular dynamics simulation, enabling in greater confidence in both interrogations. Comparison of the gel/glass interface between desiccated and cryogenically preserved samples reveals consistently abrupt B dissolution behavior and quantitative differences in the apparent H ingress into the glass. These comparisons give some guidance to future experimental approaches to understanding glass corrosion behavior. More broadly, the cryogenic preservation and 3D visualization of the native water/solid structure in 3D at the nanoscale has direct relevance to a wide range of materials systems beyond glass science.

基于低温的原子探针层析成像技术已被用于直接揭示水-固体界面和水合腐蚀层，从而构成了在其天然水环境中被腐蚀的硼硅酸盐玻璃的纳米级多孔结构。该分析包括内部凝胶/玻璃界面的形态和成分图，弯曲的含水凝胶的层析子体积的分离以及凝胶结构与模拟的比较。纳米级多孔结构在质量上与分子动力学模拟的结构一致，从而使人们对两种询问都更有信心。干燥和低温保存的样品之间的凝胶/玻璃界面比较表明，B的溶解行为一直很突然，并且进入玻璃的表观H含量存在定量差异。这些比较为理解玻璃腐蚀行为的未来实验方法提供了一些指导。更广泛地讲，纳米级3D中天然水/固体结构的低温保存和3D可视化与玻璃科学以外的多种材料系统直接相关。