Complementary and correlative (S) TEM/APT analysis of functional and structural alloys

摘要: Atom probe tomography (APT) can map out the three-dimensional element distribution of nanoscale microstructural features, which is difficult to analyze using (scanning) transmission electron microscopy ((S)TEM). Complementary or correlative (S)TEM/APT analysis can reveal both the structure and element distribution in more detail. This article showcases some examples of the structural and elemental distributions of alloys that were determined using correlative (S)TEM/APT analysis, including Cu nanoclusters in soft magnetic material, solute segregations to dislocations in magnesium alloys, Mg dopant distribution in GaN, and the intergranular phase in rare-earth permanent magnets. These analytical examples show the effectiveness of (S)TEM/APT complementary and correlative analyses to understand the underlying mechanism contributing to the development of excellent properties in these materials …