Interrogation of Alumina Grain Boundaries using Atomic Force Microscopy

1999 ◽  
Vol 580 ◽  
Author(s):  
P.A. Tibble ◽  
B.R. Heywood ◽  
R. Richardson ◽  
P. Barnes
Keyword(s):  
Particle Size ◽  
Atomic Force Microscopy ◽  
Grain Boundary ◽  
Grain Boundaries ◽  
Preferential Growth ◽  
Polycrystalline Alumina ◽  
Present Evidence ◽  
Force Microscopy ◽  
Atomic Force ◽  
Uniform Growth

AbstractA number of MgO doped (3wt%) polycrystalline alumina samples were prepared. The preparation of these samples varied; different regimes for annealing (1500 – 1600°C) and a range of dwell times were examined. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) was used to study surface features. Information on grain boundary dimensions (depth, width) is presented along with a study of grain particle size. The growth of the grain boundaries was found to contradict Mullins' theory of uniform growth with time. We also present evidence for Ostwalds' ripening and the preferential growth of [001] oriented grains.

Investigation of Surface Grooves from Migrating Grain Boundaries

2002 ◽  
Vol 750 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicole E. Munoz ◽  
Shelley R. Gilliss ◽  
N. Ravishankar ◽  
C. Barry Carter
Keyword(s):  
Atomic Force Microscopy ◽  
Grain Boundary ◽  
Light Microscopy ◽  
Grain Boundaries ◽  
High Purity ◽  
Moving Boundary ◽  
Migration Process ◽  
Force Microscopy ◽  
Atomic Force ◽  
And Migration

ABSTRACTVisible-light microscopy (VLM) and atomic-force microscopy (AFM) were used to study the progression of grain-boundary grooving and migration in high-purity alumina (Lucalox™). Groove profiles from the same grain boundaries were revisited using AFM following successive heat-treatments. The grooves measured from migrating grain boundaries were found to have asymmetric partial-angles compared to those measured from boundaries that did not migrate during the experiment. For a moving boundary, the grain with the larger partial-angle was consistently found to grow into the grain with the smaller partial-angle. Migrating boundaries were observed to leave behind remnant thermal grooves. The observations indicate that the boundary may be bowing out during the migration process.

scholarly journals Evaluation of grain boundaries as percolation pathways in quartz-rich continental crust using Atomic Force Microscopy

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ritabrata Dobe ◽  
Anuja Das ◽  
Rabibrata Mukherjee ◽  
Saibal Gupta
Keyword(s):  
Atomic Force Microscopy ◽  
Grain Boundary ◽  
Continental Crust ◽  
Electron Backscatter Diffraction ◽  
Vital Role ◽  
Force Microscopy ◽  
Atomic Force ◽  
Width Measurements ◽  
Lower Temperature ◽  
Backscatter Diffraction

AbstractHydrous fluids play a vital role in the chemical and rheological evolution of ductile, quartz-bearing continental crust, where fluid percolation pathways are controlled by grain boundary domains. In this study, widths of grain boundary domains in seven quartzite samples metamorphosed under varying crustal conditions were investigated using Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) which allows comparatively easy, high magnification imaging and precise width measurements. It is observed that dynamic recrystallization at higher metamorphic grades is much more efficient at reducing grain boundary widths than at lower temperature conditions. The concept of force-distance spectroscopy, applied to geological samples for the first time, allows qualitative estimation of variations in the strength of grain boundary domains. The strength of grain boundary domains is inferred to be higher in the high grade quartzites, which is supported by Kernel Average Misorientation (KAM) studies using Electron Backscatter Diffraction (EBSD). The results of the study show that quartzites deformed and metamorphosed at higher grades have narrower channels without pores and an abundance of periodically arranged bridges oriented at right angles to the length of the boundary. We conclude that grain boundary domains in quartz-rich rocks are more resistant to fluid percolation in the granulite rather than the greenschist facies.

scholarly journals A thermal grooving study of relative grain boundary energies of nickel in polycrystalline Ni and in a Ni/YSZ anode measured by atomic force microscopy

2021 ◽  
pp. 116936
Author(s):  
Patricia Haremski ◽  
Lars Epple ◽  
Matthias Wieler ◽  
Piero Lupetin ◽  
Richard Thelen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Atomic Force Microscopy ◽  
Grain Boundary ◽  
Force Microscopy ◽  
Atomic Force

Imaging Electron Transport across Grain Boundaries in an Integrated Electron and Atomic Force Microscopy Platform: Application to Polycrystalline Silicon Solar Cells

2009 ◽  
Vol 1153 ◽  
Author(s):  
Manuel J Romero ◽  
Fude Liu ◽  
Oliver Kunz ◽  
Johnson Wong ◽  
Chun-Sheng Jiang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Thin Films ◽  
Atomic Force Microscopy ◽  
Solar Cells ◽  
Electron Transport ◽  
Grain Boundaries ◽  
Polycrystalline Silicon ◽  
High Energy ◽  
Dominant Factor ◽  
Force Microscopy ◽  
Atomic Force

AbstractWe have investigated the local electron transport in polycrystalline silicon (pc-Si) thin-films by atomic force microscopy (AFM)-based measurements of the electron-beam-induced current (EBIC). EVA solar cells are produced at UNSW by <i>EVAporation</i> of a-Si and subsequent <i>solid-phase crystallization</i>–a potentially cost-effective approach to the production of pc-Si photovoltaics. A fundamental understanding of the electron transport in these pc-Si thin films is of prime importance to address the factors limiting the efficiency of EVA solar cells. EBIC measurements performed in combination with an AFM integrated inside an electron microscope can resolve the electron transport across individual grain boundaries. AFM-EBIC reveals that most grain boundaries present a high energy barrier to the transport of electrons for both p-type and n-type EVA thin-films. Furthermore, for p-type EVA pc-Si, in contrast with n-type, charged grain boundaries are seen. Recombination at grain boundaries seems to be the dominant factor limiting the efficiency of these pc-Si solar cells.

Microdispersion of Carbon Blacks in Rubber, Part I: Some Quantitative Aspects by AFM Image Analysis

2006 ◽  
Vol 79 (5) ◽  
pp. 783-789 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. C. Wang ◽  
S. H. Wu ◽  
J. B. Donnet ◽  
T. K. Wang
Keyword(s):  
Particle Size ◽  
Atomic Force Microscopy ◽  
Image Analysis ◽  
Force Microscopy ◽  
Carbon Blacks ◽  
Surface Fraction ◽  
Atomic Force ◽  
Distance Distributions ◽  
Rubber Part ◽  
Afm Image

Abstract The microdispersion state of carbon blacks in an emulsion SBR matrix has been observed by atomic force microscopy (AFM) and the images analyzed quantitatively. The fillers were well dispersed in the rubber samples. Different parameters, such as the surface fraction of fillers in images, particle size distance distributions, have been extracted and the main results are presented.

scholarly journals Direct Visualization of Grain Boundaries in Quartzites using Atomic Force Microscopy: Application to Study of Fluid Percolation in Continental Crust

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ritabrata Dobe ◽  
Anuja Das ◽  
Rabibrata Mukherjee ◽  
Saibal Gupta
Keyword(s):  
Atomic Force Microscopy ◽  
Grain Boundary ◽  
Continental Crust ◽  
Electron Backscatter Diffraction ◽  
Vital Role ◽  
Force Microscopy ◽  
Atomic Force ◽  
Width Measurements ◽  
Lower Temperature ◽  
Backscatter Diffraction

Abstract Hydrous fluids play a vital role in the chemical and rheological evolution of ductile, quartz-bearing continental crust, where fluid percolation pathways are controlled by grain boundary domains. In this study, widths of grain boundary domains in seven quartzite samples metamorphosed under varying crustal conditions were investigated using Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) which allows comparatively easy, high magnification imaging and precise width measurements. It is observed that dynamic recrystallization at higher metamorphic grades is much more efficient at reducing grain boundary widths than at lower temperature conditions. The concept of force-distance spectroscopy, applied to geological samples for the first time, allows qualitative estimation of variations in the strength of grain boundary domains. The strength of grain boundary domains is inferred to be higher in the high grade quartzites, which is supported by Kernel Average Misorientation (KAM) studies using Electron Backscatter Diffraction (EBSD). The results of the study show that quartzites deformed and metamorphosed at higher grades have narrower channels without pores and an abundance of periodically arranged bridges oriented at right angles to the length of the boundary. We conclude that grain boundary domains in quartz-rich rocks are more resistant to fluid percolation in the granulite rather than the greenschist facies.

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