Nano- and micromorphological evidences of the colloidal structure of ring silicate crystal inclusions

The substance released naturally during mechanical opening of growth inclusions of aquamarine, beryl and tourmaline crystals (Transbaikalia, Russia) has been studied by scanning atomic force microscopy (AFM) and electron microscopy (SEM). The liquid part of the substance of the inclusions is a sufficiently concentrated colloidal sol-gel-silicate system. The diffused silicate colloid forms a film, poorly removable from the chip surface, which is reliably detected by AFM and transformed under prolonged exposure to an electron beam into a foam-glass. The latter fact can be used to create sub-micron textures that are stable under normal conditions by electron-beam lithography. The study of quartz and phenacite (Ural, Russia) did not reveal such films. In contrast to aquamarine, the inner walls of cavities of quartz and phenacite inclusions, according to AFM data, are covered with growth hills, grown by the dislocation mechanism. This indicates a relatively low degree of polymerization of the silicate component in the initial hydrothermal mother liquor for quartz and phenacite compared to the degree of polymerization in the mineral-forming media of ring silicate crystals.