Electron-microscopy study of the ferric chloride/graphite compound

The direction of the Burgers vector of the dislocations bounding the intercalated ferric chloride layers in the interlamellar compound of graphite and ferric chloride has been determined by extinction of the contrast and is found to be perpendicular to the c-planes. From this result the conclusion is drawn that graphite preserves its a b a b ... stacking upon intercalation of FeCl₃. Dislocation loops of intercalated FeCl₃ pinched-off of moving boundary dislocations by pinning at crystal imperfections upon dissociation of the compound are presented. The formation of the ferric chloride/graphite residue compound is discussed. Dissociation of a ferric chloride/graphite layer into "free" graphite and an inclusion of ferric chloride upon locally heating the specimen in the electron-microscope is shown in a series of consecutive micrographs.