Electron Microscopy of Graphite Intercalation Compounds

Electron microscopy can be used to study structures and phase transitions occurring in graphite intercalations compounds. The fundamental symmetry in graphite intercalation compounds is the staging periodicity whereby each intercalate layer is separated by n graphite layers, n denoting the stage index. The currently accepted model for intercalation proposed by Herold and Daumas assumes that the sample contains equal amounts of intercalant between any two graphite layers and staged regions are confined to domains. Specifically, in a stage 2 compound, the Herold-Daumas domain wall model predicts a pleated lattice plane structure.