High-Resolution Scanning-Ion-Microprobe Study of Graphite and its Intercalation Compounds

Secondary-electron images of cleaved highly oriented pyrolytic-graphite surfaces, showing topographic and primary-ion-channeling contrast, exhibit pleated structures, revealing detailed morphology of flat microcrystallites and low-angle grain boundaries. We also observed, for the first time, the lateral extent of Daumas-H\'erold domains by direct imaging of the surface distribution of the intercalant on freshly cleaved SbCl₅-intercalated graphite. The intercalant forms domains of typical dimension {~}200 nm and accumulates along crystal-surface defects.