Abstract
Direct imaging of three-dimensional microstructure via X-ray diffraction-based techniques gives valuable insight into the crystallographic features that influence materials properties and performance. For instance, X-ray diffraction tomography provides information on grain orientation, position, size, and shape in a bulk specimen. As such techniques become more accessible to researchers, demands are placed on processing the datasets that are inherently “noisy,” multi-dimensional, and multimodal. To fulfill this need, we have developed a one-of-a-kind function package, PolyProc, that is compatible with a range of data shapes, from planar sections to time-evolving and three-dimensional orientation data. Our package comprises functions to import, filter, analyze, and visualize the reconstructed grain maps. To accelerate the computations in our pipeline, we harness computationally efficient approaches: for instance, data alignment is done via genetic optimization; grain tracking through the Hungarian method; and feature-to-feature correlation through k-nearest neighbors algorithm. As a proof-of-concept, we test our approach in characterizing the grain texture, topology, and evolution in a polycrystalline Al–Cu alloy undergoing coarsening.
In situ observation of phase changes of a silica-supported cobalt catalyst for the Fischer–Tropsch process by the development of a synchrotron-compatible in situ/operando powder X-ray diffraction cell