Combined Use of Small Angle Neutron Scattering (Sans) and (Conventional and High Resolution) Electron Microscopy for the Characterization of Early Stages of Ordering and Phase Separation in Ni-Ti
ABSTRACTThe decomposition of Ni ∼ 11.5 at.% Ti single crystals was studied for an ageing temperature of 540°C. In this alloy, coherent ordered zones of γ′-Ni3Ti (Cu3Au structure) are formed prior to the stable n precipitates. The early stages of zone formation were investigated by in-beam SANS and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Electron diffraction, high resolution electron microscopy, TEM analysis of dislocation arrangements in samples deformed after ageing and X-ray measurements of the integrated intensity at L12 superstructure positions show that ordered regions already appear in quenched samples, whereas compositional changes, as determined by SANS measurements, occur only upon ageing.