Figure 4.

Local catalyst morphology as recorded by scanning electron microscopy (SEM; A, B, C), chemical composition as imaged by infrared photoinduced force microscopy (IR PiFM) (ν(Si–O), 1050–1030 cm^–1, A′–C′ and δ(C–H), 1472–1460 cm^–1, A″–C″), and relative mechanical properties as determined by phase shift imaging (A‴–C‴). All data were collected on the cross-sections of a single 30 min prepolymerized SiO₂/MAO/Hf particle (same particle as in Figure 2C, characterized at a different depth; measurement areas are indicated by circles in the SEM images). Images in panels B–B‴ were recorded in the same area as those in panels A–A‴ but at a higher magnification.