On the geometric autocorrelation function of polycrystalline materials

Herein we derive an expression for direct determination of the geometric autocorrelation function W of a polycrystalline material from images of its grain boundary network (e.g., those delivered by orientation imaging microscopy). We also obtain an identity that relates the mean linear intercept function to a directional derivative of the geometric autocorrelation function. These formulae were applied to examine whether a widely-used formula for W, particularly in theoretical studies of attenuation of elastic waves in polycrystalline media, would be valid for the grain boundary structure of a commercial aluminum alloy. The conclusion was negative.     

Atom probe tomography: a technique for nanoscale characterization.

Atom probe tomography is a technique for the nanoscale characterization of microstructural features. Analytical techniques have been developed to estimate the size, composition, and other parameters of features as small as 1 nm from the atom probe tomography data. These methods are outlined and illustrated with examples of yttrium-, titanium-, and oxygen-enriched particles in a mechanically alloyed, oxide-dispersion-strengthened steel.     

Mass Spectrometric Analysis of Water-soluble Gold Nanoclusters

Batches of water-soluble gold nanoclusters of nominal 2.0 or 3.5-nm diameter were prepared to evaluate particle size determinations by a number of techniques such as transmission electron microscopy or atomic force microscopy and to validate estimates derived by mass spectrometric analysis using matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization (MALDI). Good agreement was found and MALDI lends itself to analyses even in the presence of aggregates.     

Brittle fracture in 50Mo–50Re alloys during slow strain rate tensile testing

Tensile tests were conducted on 50 wt% Mo–50 wt% Re alloys in both fully recrystallized and recovery heat-treated conditions at a low strain rate of 10^?6 s^?1 and room temperature in air. It was found that both material conditions exhibited predominantly cleavage fracture with significant intergranular secondary cracking, compared to the predominantly ductile fracture found in the alloys at a higher strain rate. Cracks were often initiated at grain boundary triple junctions at the low strain rate. Electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) measurements revealed significantly high misorientation gradients (i.e. highly localized change in orientation) at grain boundaries, especially in the vicinity of some grain boundary triple junctions in the deformed alloys. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) results verified the existence of significant misorientations near grain boundaries in these alloys. Stress-assisted dynamic embrittlement, possibly due to trace interstitials, was the possible cause of brittle fracture in the 50Mo–50Re alloys at the low strain rate.     

Bimetallic palladium-gold dendrimer-encapsulated catalysts

The synthesis, characterization, and catalytic properties of 1-3 nm-diameter bimetallic PdAu dendrimer-encapsulated catalysts are reported. Both alloy and core/shell PdAu nanoparticles were prepared. The catalytic hydrogenation of allyl alcohol was significantly enhanced in the presence of the alloy and core/shell PdAu nanoparticles as compared to mixtures of single-metal nanoparticles.     

Microcalorimeter Detectors and Low Voltage SEM Microanalysis

The development of the microcalorimeter energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometer (µ-cal EDS) offers a significant advancement in X-ray microanalysis, especially for electron beam instruments. The benefits are especially pronounced for low voltage (5kV) X-ray microanalysis in the field emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM) where the high energy resolution of the µ-cal EDS minimizes the peak overlaps among the myriad of K, L, M and N lines in the 0–5keV energy range. The availability of L- and M-shell X-ray lines for microanalysis somewhat offsets the absence of X-ray lines traditionally used above 5keV energy. The benefits and challenges of the µ-cal EDS will be discussed, including P/B ratio for characteristic X-rays, collection angle, count rate capability and the impact of polycapillary X-ray optics on microanalysis.     

Detection of single atoms and buried defects in three dimensions by aberration-corrected electron microscope with 0.5-a information limit

The ability of electron microscopes to analyze all the atoms in individual nanostructures is limited by lens aberrations. However, recent advances in aberration-correcting electron optics have led to greatly enhanced instrument performance and new techniques of electron microscopy. The development of an ultrastable electron microscope with aberration-correcting optics and a monochromated high-brightness source has significantly improved instrument resolution and contrast. In the present work, we report information transfer beyond 50 pm and show images of single gold atoms with a signal-to-noise ratio as large as 10. The instrument's new capabilities were exploited to detect a buried Sigma3 {112} grain boundary and observe the dynamic arrangements of single atoms and atom pairs with sub-angstrom resolution. These results mark an important step toward meeting the challenge of determining the three-dimensional atomic-scale structure of nanomaterials.