Interplay between eutectic and dendritic growths dominated by Si content for Nb-Si-Ti alloys via rapid solidification

Author(s):  
Yueling Guo ◽  
Lina Jia ◽  
Junyang He ◽  
Siyuan Zhang ◽  
Zhiming Li ◽  
...  

Abstract Rapid solidification techniques such as electron beam additive manufacturing are considered as promising pathways for manufacturing Nb-Si based alloys for ultra-high-temperature applications. Here we investigate the microstructure diversity of a series of Nb-Si-Ti alloys via electron beam surface melting (EBSM) to reveal their rapid solidification behaviors. Results show that the microstructural transition from coupled to divorced Nbss/Nb3Si eutectics can be triggered by increasing Si content. The formation of fully lamellar eutectics, evidenced by scanning transmission electron microscopy and atom probe tomography (APT), is achieved in the EBSM-processed Nb18Si20Ti alloy (at%), in contrast to the hypereutectic microstructures in arc-melted counterparts. The dendritic microstructures containing divorced eutectics are generated with a higher content of Si during rapid solidification. The transition from faceted to non-faceted growth of intermetallic Nb3Si occurs with the formation of primary Nb3Si dendrites. The interplay between eutectic and dendritic growths of silicides is discussed to provide insights for future alloy design and manufacture.

Author(s):  
G. Lehmpfuhl ◽  
P. J. Smith

Specimens being observed with electron-beam instruments are subject to contamination, which is due to polymerization of hydrocarbon molecules by the beam. This effect becomes more important as the size of the beam is reduced. In convergent-beam studies with a beam diameter of 100 Å, contamination was observed to grow on samples at very high rates. Within a few seconds needles began forming under the beam on both the top and the underside of the sample, at growth rates of 400-500 Å/s, severely limiting the time available for observation. Such contamination could cause serious difficulty in examining a sample with the new scanning transmission electron microscopes, in which the beam is focused to a few angstroms.We have been able to reduce the rate of contamination buildup by a combination of methods: placing an anticontamination cold trap in the sample region, preheating the sample before observation, and irradiating the sample with a large beam before observing it with a small beam.


Author(s):  
J. R. Michael ◽  
K. A. Taylor

Although copper is considered an incidental or trace element in many commercial steels, some grades contain up to 1-2 wt.% Cu for precipitation strengthening. Previous electron microscopy and atom-probe/field-ion microscopy (AP/FIM) studies indicate that the precipitation of copper from ferrite proceeds with the formation of Cu-rich bcc zones and the subsequent transformation of these zones to fcc copper particles. However, the similarity between the atomic scattering amplitudes for iron and copper and the small misfit between between Cu-rich particles and the ferrite matrix preclude the detection of small (<5 nm) Cu-rich particles by conventional transmission electron microscopy; such particles have been imaged directly only by FIM. Here results are presented whereby the Cu Kα x-ray signal was used in a dedicated scanning transmission electron microscope (STEM) to image small Cu-rich particles in a steel. The capability to detect these small particles is expected to be helpful in understanding the behavior of copper in steels during thermomechanical processing and heat treatment.


Minerals ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (7) ◽  
pp. 727
Author(s):  
Shiyun Jin ◽  
Huifang Xu ◽  
Seungyeol Lee

The enigmatic Bøggild intergrowth in iridescent labradorite crystals was revisited in light of recent work on the incommensurately modulated structures in the intermediated plagioclase. Five igneous samples and one metamorphic labradorite sample with various compositions and lamellar thicknesses were studied in this paper. The lamellar textures were characterized with conventional transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM). The compositions of individual lamellae were analyzed with high-resolution energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) mapping and atom probe tomography (APT). The average structure states of the studied samples were also compared with single-crystal X-ray diffraction data (SC-XRD). The Na-rich lamellae have a composition of An44–48, and the Ca-rich lamellae range from An56 to An63. Significant differences between the lamellar compositions of different samples were observed. The compositions of the Bøggild intergrowth do not only depend on the bulk compositions, but also on the thermal history of the host rock. The implications on the subsolidus phase relationships of the plagioclase feldspar solid solution are discussed. The results cannot be explained by a regular symmetrical solvus such as the Bøggild gap, but they support an inclined two-phase region that closes at low temperature.


1998 ◽  
Vol 4 (S2) ◽  
pp. 98-99
Author(s):  
D. H. Ping ◽  
K. Hono ◽  
A. Inoue

Recently, Inoue et al. succeeded in fabricating ultrahigh-strength Al-based alloys consisting of a nanoscale mixture of α-Al and amorphous phases or a mixture of a-Al, amorphous and icosahedral phases in Al-TM-Ce, Al-TM-Ln (TM: transition metals) and Al-Cr-Co-Ce systems by rapid solidification [1-3]. In order to understand the mechanism of the nanoscale microstructural evolution during the rapid solidification processes in these nanocomposite alloys, we have characterized the microstructures of rapidly solidified Al94.5Cr3Co1.5Ce1 and Al96V4Fe2 alloys by atom probe field ion microscopy (APFIM) and high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HREM).TEM investigations have revealed that the as-quenched Al94.5Cr3Co1.5Ce1 alloy is composed of a nanoscale mixture of amorphous and α-Al. A typical TEM bright field micrograph is shown in Fig. 1. The microdiffraction patterns taken at various locations in the darkly contrasted region have shown that the region consists of a few interconnected α-Al grains and many localized amorphous regions which are trapped within the Al grains.


2014 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 484-492 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. Layla Mehdi ◽  
Meng Gu ◽  
Lucas R. Parent ◽  
Wu Xu ◽  
Eduard N. Nasybulin ◽  
...  

AbstractThe recent development of in-situ liquid stages for (scanning) transmission electron microscopes now makes it possible for us to study the details of electrochemical processes under operando conditions. As electrochemical processes are complex, care must be taken to calibrate the system before any in-situ/operando observations. In addition, as the electron beam can cause effects that look similar to electrochemical processes at the electrolyte/electrode interface, an understanding of the role of the electron beam in modifying the operando observations must also be understood. In this paper we describe the design, assembly, and operation of an in-situ electrochemical cell, paying particular attention to the method for controlling and quantifying the experimental parameters. The use of this system is then demonstrated for the lithiation/delithiation of silicon nanowires.


2019 ◽  
Vol 104 (10) ◽  
pp. 1436-1443
Author(s):  
Guanyu Wang ◽  
Hejing Wang ◽  
Jianguo Wen

Abstract Interstratified clay minerals reflect the weathering degree and record climatic conditions and the pedogenic processes in the soil. It is hard to distinguish a few layers of interstratified clay minerals from the chlorite matrix, due to their similar two-dimensional tetrahedral-octahedral-tetrahedral (TOT) structure and electron-beam sensitive nature during transmission electron microscopy (TEM) imaging. Here, we used multiple advanced TEM techniques including low-dose high-resolution TEM (HRTEM), high-angle annular dark-field scanning transmission electron microscopy (HAADF-STEM) imaging combined with energy-dispersive spectroscopic (EDS) mapping to study interstratified layers in a chlo-rite sample from Changping, Beijing, China. We demonstrated an interstratified mica or pyrophyllite monolayer could be well distinguished from the chlorite matrix by projected atomic structures, lattice spacings, and chemical compositions with advanced TEM techniques. Further investigation showed two different transformation mechanisms from mica or pyrophyllite to chlorite: either a 4 Å increase or decrease in the lattice spacing. This characterization approach can be extended to the studies of other electron-beam sensitive minerals.


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