Its time =)

Sicc new look

La kopi.. Anyone??

Teenage mutant ninja bearbear

After many hours of studying...

Impossible is not a word, it is a reason for someone not to try

Was browsing through some videos from Jayesslee and came across one that kinda make me believe that almost anything is possible. So whatever you're doing, whoever you are and whenever you feel like giving up, remember"

 

Impossible is not a word, it is a reason for someone not to try.

 

Here's the song where I heard that line from. Anyway, JS is awesome =)

 

Late nights and early mornings

I just got back from an hour's trip to Sembawang camp - sent Marcus for reservist. Can't believe I managed to wake up even though I slept at 3.30am last night. The best thing is, it's 8am now and I'm here blogging. Maybe I should really consider napping before heading to school at 9.30am.. hmmm

anyway, these few nights have been crazy. The exams is around the corner (18th Nov 2011) and I've been burning midnight oil and waking up early. As Karen (my TCM doctor) would say, this is VERY bad for your health. But you know, urgent times call for urgent measures.. I'm sure this period will be over soon and I can subsequently focus on my Real Estate biz.

In any case, on the way back from Sembawang camp, I was listening to 938live on the radio and heard about this retirement scheme called Supplementary Retirement scheme, SRS. It works hand in hand with the CPF. The difference is that the SRS is voluntary and you'll get some text rebates. I'm 25 this year but I think it's important to think about retirement stuff you see. (and getting to know more in the process) Well, more information can be seen here: http://app.mof.gov.sg/supplementary_retirement_scheme.aspx . Hope that if you're about to retire, this will benefit you largely. Upon reading the website, I realised that the financial advisor on the radio was reading the text straight from the website. hmmm.. quite a good way to share info (I mean there's no worries that the info might be wrong) but it makes me wonder if this financial advisor understands the policy. And if so, what are his views on it.

Well, I guess everyone's doing the best that they can yeah? Right. So I shall do the best I can for myself too.. BED HERE I COME!!

Selected Area Electron Diffraction (SAED) and Convergent Beam Electron Diffraction (CBED)

Selected Area Electron Diffraction (SAED) and Convergent Beam Electron Diffraction (CBED)

Here are some of the characteristics of SAED and CBED. These are what I've heard from my lecture in school.

1. SAED

• Function:

• identifying crystal structure and lattice structure of a sample
• examine crystal defects
• uses parallel beam

Why use SAED?

• sample, comes in foils, easily distorted because of the small size. This causes orientation change from its original crystal structure. So, SAED allows experimenter to SELECT the AREA on the sample with constant orientation
• SELECT the AREA to study a single crystal in a polycrystalline sample
• study the crystallographic orientation between 2 crystalline structure

How to tell the difference between defects on a sample vs bending of the foil on a sample?

• tilt the sample slightly

• if contours move very fast, then it's bending of the foil
• if contours move slow, then it's the defects

CBED

• Function:

• same as SAEB but used when crystal defects and second phase ppt at much smaller resolution (nm to Angstrom range)
• uses convergent beam

Why use CBED?

• improved spatial resolution due to smaller probe beam

• Specimen thickness
• unit cell and precise lattice parameters
• crystal system and 3D crystal symmetry

Drawbacks of CBED:

• high current density damages sample
• heat might change microstructure of sample
• local contamination of specimen

4 variables to control CBED

• convergent semiangle (higher angle higher...) - bigger aperture bigger convergent angle
• higher camera length higher magnification but lower angle of view of pattern
• focus of pattern (use 1st intermediate lens to focus)
• size of beam (smaller size beam higher intensity and resolution)