Origin of nucleation and growth of extension twins in grains unsuitably oriented for twinning during deformation of Mg-1%Al

A large number of anomalous extension twins,with low or even negative twinning Schmid factors,were found to nucleate and grow in a strongly textured Mg-1Al alloy during tensile deformation along the extruded direction.The deformation mechanisms responsible for this behaviour were investigated through in-situ electron back-scattered diffraction,grain reference orientation deviation,and slip trace-modified lattice rotation.It was found that anomalous extension twins nucleated mainly at the onset of plastic deformation at or near grain boundary triple junctions.They were associated with the severe strain incompatibility between neighbour grains as a result from the differentbasal slip-induced lattice rotations.Moreover,the anomalous twins were able to grow with the applied strain due to the continuous activation ofbasal slip in different neighbour grains,which enhanced the strain incompatibility.These results reveal the complexity of the deformation mechanisms in Mg alloys at the local level when deformed along hard orientations.

Analysis of deformation mechanisms in magnesium single crystals using a dedicated four-point bending tester

In this study,we explored the deformation mechanisms of Mg single crystals using a combination of scanning electron microscopy and electron backscattered diffraction in conjunction with a dedicated four-point bending tester.We prepared two single-crystal samples,oriented along the<1120>and<1010>directions,to assess the mechanisms of deformation when the initial basal slip was suppressed.In the<1120>sample,the primary{1012}twin(T1)was confirmed along the<1120>direction of the sample on the compression side with an increase in bending stress.In the<1010>sample,T1 and the secondary twin(T2)were confirmed to be along the<1120>direction,with an orientation of±60°with respect to the bending stress direction,and their direction matched with(0001)in T1 and T2.This result implies that crystallographically,the basal slip occurs readily.In addition,the<1010>sample showed the double twin in T1 on the compression side and the tertiary twin along the<1010>direction on the tension side.These results demonstrated that the maximum bending stress and displacement changed significantly under the bend loading because the deformation mechanisms were different for these single crystals.Therefore,the correlation between bending behavior and twin orientation was determined,which would be helpful for optimizing the bending properties of Mg-based materials.

Surface segregation of InGaAs films by the evolution of reflection high-energy electron diffraction patterns

Surface segregation is studied via the evolution of reflection high-energy electron diffraction （RHEED） patterns under different values of As4 BEP for InGaAs films. When the As4 BEP is set to be zero, the RHEED pattern keeps a 4x3/（nx3） structure with increasing temperature, and surface segregation takes place until 470 ℃ The RHEED pattern develops into a metal-rich （4x2） structure as temperature increases to 495℃. The reason for this is that surface segregation makes the In inside the InGaAs film climb to its surface. With the temperature increasing up to 515℃, the RHEED pattern turns into a GaAs（2x4） structure due to In desorption. While the As4 BEP comes up to a specific value （1.33 x 10-4 Pa-1.33 x 10-3 Pa）, the surface temperature can delay the segregation and desorption. We find that As4 BEP has a big influence on surface desorption, while surface segregation is more strongly dependent on temperature than surface desorption.

Analysis of Orange Peel Defect in St14 Steel Sheet by Electron Backscattered Diffraction (EBSD)

In this paper, the orange peel defect in the surface range of the st14 steel sheet has been investigated using the electron backscattered diffraction (EBSD) technique. It has been found that the orange peel defect in the st14 steel sheet was resulted from the local coarse grains which were produced during hot-rolling due to the critical deformation in dual-phase zone. During deep drawing, the coarse grains with {100}<001> microtexture can slip on the {112}<111> slip system to form bulging and yields orange peel defects, while the coarse grains with {112}<110> orientation do not form the defect as the Schmid factor of {112}<111> slip system in it equals zero.

Crystallographic Characteristic of Intermetallic Compounds in Al-Si-Mg Casting Alloys Using Electron Backscatter Diffraction

The Al-Si-Mg alloy which can be strengthened by heat treatment is widely applied to the key components of aerospace and aeronautics. Iron-rich intermetallic compounds are well known to be strongly influential on mechanical properties in Al-Si-Mg alloys. But intermetallic compounds in cast Al-Si-Mg alloy intermetallics are often misidentified in previous metallurgical studies. It was described as many different compounds, such as AlFeSi, Al8Fe2Si, Al5（Fe, Mn）3Si2 and so on. For the purpose of solving this problem, the intermetallic compounds in cast Al-Si alloys containing 0.5% Mg were investigated in this study. The iron-rich compounds in Al-Si-Mg casting alloys were characterized by optical microscope（OM）, scanning electron microscope（SEM）, energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer（EDS）, electron backscatter diffraction（EBSD） and X-ray powder diffraction（XRD）. The electron backscatter diffraction patterns were used to assess the crystallographic characteristics of intermetallic compounds. The compound which contains Fe/Mg-rich particles with coarse morphologies was Al8FeMg3Si6 in the alloy by using EBSD. The compound belongs to hexagonal system, space group P6_2m, with the lattice parameter a=0.662 nm, c=0.792 nm. The β-phase is indexed as tetragonal Al3FeSi2, space group I4/mcm, a=0.607 nm and c=0.950 nm. The XRD data indicate that Al8FeMg3Si6 and Al3FeSi2 are present in the microstructure of Al-7Si-Mg alloy, which confirms the identification result of EBSD. The present study identified the iron-rich compound in Al-Si-Mg alloy, which provides a reliable method to identify the intermetallic compounds in short time in Al-Si-Mg alloy. Study results are helpful for identification of complex compounds in alloys.

Determination of Space Group Pncm of Prehnite Using Electron Diffraction Method

Space symmetry of prehnite, which occurs in cavities and veins within Skarn from the Tieshan iron mineral deposit,Daye,Hubei province,Central China,has been determined using selected area electron diffraction (SAED) and convergent-beam electron diffraction (CBED) on the submicrometer scale.Our results confirm that the natural prehnite may have the structure with symmetry Pncm.The unit-cell parameters of investigated prehnite (a=0.458nm,b=0.555nm,and c=1.853nm) have been calculated by using the multicrystal diffraction rings of gold,the internal standard.

Probing Molecular Dynamics with Ultrafast Electron Diffraction

Recent progress in ultrafast lasers,ultrafast X-rays and ultrafast electron beams has made it possible to watch the motion of atoms in real time through pumpprobe technique.In this review,we focus on how the molecular dynamics can be studied with ultrafast electron diffraction where the dynamics is initiated by a pumping laser and then probed by pulsed electron beams.This technique allows one to track the molecular dynamics with femtosecond time resolution and Angstr6m spatial resolution.We present the basic physics and latest development of this technique.Representative applications of ultrafast electron diffraction in studies of laser-induced molecular dynamics are also discussed.This table-top technique is complementary to X-ray free-electron laser and we expect it to have a strong impact in studies of chemical dynamics.

TEXTURE DETERMINATION OF THIN FILM ZrO_2 BY ELECTRON DIFFRACTION

A method for semi-quantitative determination of thin film texture using electron diffrac- tion is described.The texture state of a zirconia thin film with a cubic structure has been determined in this way and is presented as an example.

CRYSTAL STRUCTURE OF A LONG－PERIOD ORDERED PHASE IN Fe－C MARTENSITE AND COMPUTER SIMULATION OF ITS ELECTRON DIFFRACTION PATTERNS

Different structure models of a long-period ordered phase in Fe-C martenstie formed during aging have been checked by computer simulation of electron diffraction(ED) patterns based on these models.The results showed that the simulated ED pattern of γ'-FexC(Ⅱ) model proposed by the present authors is in good agreement with experimentally observed ED pattern.It was also confirmed that the incommensurate superperiod stems from the coexistence of several γ'-Fe_xC(H) phases with different superperiods.The Fe(144)C(24)(Fe6C) model proposed by Uwakweh et al.generated ED patterns remarkably different from the experimental ones.

A Comparative Study on the Selected Area Electron Diffraction Pattern of Fe Oxide/Au Core-shell Structured Nanoparticles

The selected area electron diffraction （SAED） pattern of magnetic iron oxide core/gold shell nanoparticles has been studied. For the composite particles with mean size less than 10 nm, their SAED pattern is found to be different from either the pattern of pure Fe oxide nanoparticles or that of pure Au particles. Based on the fact that the ring diameters of these composite particles fit the characteristic relation for the fcc structure, the Au atoms on surfaces of the concerned particles are supposed to pack in a way more tightly than they usually do in pure Au nanoparticles. The driving force for this is the coherency strain which enables the shell material at the heterostructured interface to adapt the lattice parameters of the core.

Uncovering the internal structure of five-fold twinned nanowires through 3D electron diffraction mapping

Five-fold twinned nanostructures are intrinsically strained or relaxed by extended defects to satisfy the space-filling requirement.Although both of metallic and semiconductor five-fold twinned nanostructures show inhomogeneity in their cross-sectional strain distribution,the evident strain concentration at twin boundaries in the semiconductor systems has been found in contrast to the metallic systems.Naturally,a problem is raised how the chemical bonding characteristics of various five-fold twinned nanosystems affects their strain-relieving defect structures.Here using three-dimensional(3D)electron diffraction mapping methodology,the intrinsic strain and the strain-relieving defects in a pentagonal Ag nanowire and a star-shaped boron carbide nanowire,both of them have basically equal radial twin-plane width about 30 nm,are nondestructively characterized.The non-uniform strain and defect distribution between the five single crystalline segments are found in both of the five-fold twinned nanowires.Diffraction intensity fine structure analysis for the boron carbide five-fold twinned nanowire indicates the presence of high-density of planar defects which are responsible for the accommodation of the intrinsic angular excess.However,for the Ag five-fold twinned nanowire,the star-disclination strain field is still present,although is partially relieved by the formation of localized stacking fault layers accompanied by partial dislocations.Energetic analysis suggests that the variety in the strain-relaxation ways for the two types of five-fold twinned nanowires could be ascribed to the large difference in shear modulus between the soft noble metal Ag and the superhard covalent compound boron carbide.

Effect of Electron Beam Orientation on Exit Wave Function via Simulation of Electron Dynamic Diffraction

Based on the electron dynamic diffraction, phase shift of the exit wave function vs misorientation of the incident electron beam from the exact zone axis has been calculated for the [001] oriented copper. The result shows that the peak of phase shift is the maximum at the atom position as the electron beam along the exact [001] zone axis, and the peak value of phase shift decreases as increases of the misorientation. At small misorientation, i.e. less than 5 degree, change of the phase shift is minimal. The peak value of phase shift decreases significantly when the incident beam deviates form the zone axis over 10 degree and the exit wave has a planar configuration as the misoriention angle arrives -17 degree. The effect of this phase shift characteristics on the information extracted from the hologram has also been considered.

How to realize an ultrafast electron diffraction experiment with a terahertz pump:A theoretical study

To integrate a terahertz pump into an ultrafast electron diffraction(UED)experiment has attracted much attention due to its potential to initiate and detect the structural dynamics both directly.However,the deflection of the electron probe by the electromagnetic field of the terahertz pump alters the incident angle of the electron probe on the sample,impeding it from recording structural information afterwards.In this article,we studied this issue by a theoretical simulation of the terahertz-induced deflection effect on the electron probe,and came up with several possible schemes to reduce such effect.As a result,a terahertz-pump-electron-probe UED experiment with a temporal resolution comparable to the terahertz period is realized.We also found that Me V UED was more suitable for such terahertz pump experiment.

DETERMINATION OF SPACE GROUP OF PrCo_(12)B_6 COMPOUND BY CONVERGENT BEAM ELECTRON DIFFRACTION

The space group of PrCo_(12)B_6,compound has been determined using the convergent beam elec- tron diffraction method.The space group is found to be R3m.

Ultrafast electron diffraction

Ultrafast electron diffraction （UED） technique has proven to be an innovative tool for providing new insights in lattice dynamics with unprecedented temporal and spatial sensitivities. In this article, we give a brief introduction of this technique using the proposed UED station in the Synergetic Extreme Condition User Facility （SECUF） as a prototype. We briefly discussed UED＇s functionality, working principle, design consideration, and main components. We also briefly reviewed several pioneer works with UED to study structure-function correlations in several research areas. With these efforts, we endeavor to raise the awareness of this tool among those researchers, who may not yet have realized the emerging opportunities offered by this technique.

Modification of Analytical Expression of Electron Dynamical Diffraction

Assuming that the wave function φ>=eη, the Schrodinger equation can be written as. Neglecting the last two terms, an analytical expression of electron dynamical diffraction was derived by Qibin YANG et al. In this paper, the analytical expression is modified by further considering thesecond-order differential term When the accelerating voltage is not very high, or the sample is not very thin, the reciprocal vector g is large, the modification of the second-order differential is necessary; otherwise it can be neglected.

Isolated attosecond electron wave packet diffraction

Wave-particle duality is one of the most fundamental and mysterious natures of matters. Here, we present an interesting scheme of isolated electron wave packet diffraction with a few-cycle laser pulse and an extreme ultraviolet （XUV） pulse. The diffraction fringes are clearly present in the laser dressed XUV photoelectron spectra, strongly resembling the Airy diffraction pattern of optical waves. This phenomenon suggests a great potential of attosecond diffractometry. According to this scheme we also propose a simple method to determine the XUV pulse duration from the photoelectron spectra with a rather high resolution.

Residual stress measurement and analysis of siliceous slate-containing quartz veins

Engineering geological disasters such as rockburst have always been a critical factor affecting the safety of coal mine production.Thus,residual stress is considered a feasible method to explain these geomechanical phenomena.In this study,electron backscatter diffraction(EBSD)and optical microscopy were used to characterize the rock microcosm.A measuring area that met the requirements of X-ray diffraction(XRD)residual stress measurement was determined to account for the mechanism of rock residual stress.Then,the residual stress of a siliceous slate-containing quartz vein was measured and calculated using the sin^(2) ϕ method equipped with an X-ray diffractometer.Analysis of microscopic test results showed homogeneous areas with small particles within the millimeter range,meeting the requirements of XRD stress measurement statistics.Quartz was determined as the calibration mineral for slate samples containing quartz veins.The diffraction patterns of the(324)crystal plane were obtained under different ϕ and φ.The deviation direction of the diffraction peaks was consistent,indicating that the sample tested had residual stress.In addition,the principal residual stress within the quartz vein measured by XRD was compressive,ranging from 10 to 33 MPa.The maximum principal stress was parallel to the vein trend,whereas the minimum principal stress was perpendicular to the vein trend.Furthermore,the content of the low-angle boundary and twin boundary in the quartz veins was relatively high,which enhances the resistance of the rock mass to deformation and promotes the easy formation of strain concentrations,thereby resulting in residual stress.The proposed method for measuring residual stress can serve as a reference for subsequent observation and related research on residual stress in different types of rocks.

Application of three-dimensional electron diffraction in structure determination of zeolites

Zeolites have received great attention due to their wide applications in various fields such as catalysis,adsorp-tion/separation,ion exchange,etc.Determining the atomic crystal structure of zeolites is crucial to understanding their functions and exploring their applications.Due to the difficulty of synthesizing large single crystals,the structures of many zeolites cannot be solved using conventional single-crystal X-ray diffraction(SCXRD)methods.Three-dimensional electron diffraction(3D ED)has witnessed rapid development during the past decade and has shown its powerful ability in the structure determination of zeolites.In this review,we will briefly introduce the history of 3D ED and summarize recent advances in the application of 3D ED for the analysis of zeolite structures,along with several typical examples in this research field.

Automating selective area electron diffraction phase identification using machine learning

Selective area electron diffraction(SAED)patterns can provide valuable insight into the structure of a material.However,the manual identification of collected patterns can be a significant bottleneck in the overall phase classification workflow.In this work,we utilize the recent advances in computer vision and machine learning(ML)to automate the indexing of SAED patterns.The performance of six different ML algorithms is demonstrated using metallic plutonium-zirconium alloys.The most successful approach trained a neural network(NN)to make a classification of the phase and zone axis,and then utilized a second NN to synthesize multiple independent predictions of different tilts in a single sample to make an overall phase identification.The results demonstrate that automated SAED phase identification using ML is a viable route to accelerate materials characterization.