Hybrid tungsten-carbon 2D nanostructures viain situgasification of carbon substrates driven by ebeam irradiation of WO2.9microparticles.

Since the transmission electron microscope (TEM) has the capacity to observe the atomic structure of materials,in situTEM synthesis methods are uniquely suited to advance our fundamental understanding of the bottom-up dynamics that drive the formation of nanostructures. E-beam induced fragmentation (potentially identified as a manifestation of Coulomb explosion) and electron stimulated desorption are phenomena that have received attention because they trigger chemical and physical reactions that can lead to the production of various nanostructures. Here we report a simple TEM protocol implemented on WO2.9microparticles supported on thin amorphous carbon substrates. The method produces various nanostructures such as WC nanoparticles, WC supported films and others. Nevertheless, we focus on the gradual graphitization and gasification of the C substrate as it interacts with the material expelled from the WO2.9microparticles. The progressive gasification transforms the substrate from amorphous C down to hybrid graphitic nanoribbons incorporating W nanoparticles. We think these observations open interesting possibilities for the synthesis of 2D nanomaterials in the TEM.

Data regarding the experimental findings compared with CALPHAD calculations of the AlMo0.5NbTa0.5TiZr refractory high entropy superalloy.

This contribution contains the raw data used to compare experimental results with thermodynamic calculations using the CALPHAD method, which is related to the research article "The AlMo0.5NbTa0.5TiZr refractory high entropy superalloy: experimental findings and comparison with calculations using the CALPHAD method" [1], and therefore this article can be used as a basis for interpreting the data contained therein. The AlMo0.5NbTa0.5TiZr refractory superalloy was characterized in the cast and annealed condition (1400 °C for 24 h) in order to measure grain size and to identify and measure the size and area fraction of the phases present. The raw data of this article include X-ray diffraction (XRD) measurements, microstructural characterization by scanning and transmission electron microscopy (SEM and TEM), and elemental analysis by energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX). XRD includes the determination of phases and the lattice parameters (A2, B2, and hexagonal structure). Microstructural analysis by scanning and transmission electron microscopy includes (1) identification of composition, size, and volume fraction of the present phases and (2) determination of grain size. Based on these experimental data, it is possible to identify similarities and discrepancies with the data calculated using the CALPHAD method for the alloy under study in Ref. [1], which provides the basis for better and more efficient development of reliable databases.

Short- and Long-Range Mechanical and Chemical Interphases Caused by Interaction of Boehmite (γ-AlOOH) with Anhydride-Cured Epoxy Resins.

Understanding the interaction between boehmite and epoxy and the formation of their interphases with different mechanical and chemical structures is crucial to predict and optimize the properties of epoxy-boehmite nanocomposites. Probing the interfacial properties with atomic force microscopy (AFM)-based methods, especially particle-matrix long-range interactions, is challenging. This is due to size limitations of various analytical methods in resolving nanoparticles and their interphases, the overlap of interphases, and the effect of buried particles that prevent the accurate interphase property measurement. Here, we develop a layered model system in which the epoxy is cured in contact with a thin layer of hydrothermally synthesized boehmite. Different microscopy methods are employed to evaluate the interfacial properties. With intermodulation atomic force microscopy (ImAFM) and amplitude dependence force spectroscopy (ADFS), which contain information about stiffness, electrostatic, and van der Waals forces, a soft interphase was detected between the epoxy and boehmite. Surface potential maps obtained by scanning Kelvin probe microscopy (SKPM) revealed another interphase about one order of magnitude larger than the mechanical interphase. The AFM-infrared spectroscopy (AFM-IR) technique reveals that the soft interphase consists of unreacted curing agent. The long-range electrical interphase is attributed to the chemical alteration of the bulk epoxy and the formation of new absorption bands.

Three-dimensional reconstruction and quantification of dislocation substructures from transmission electron microscopy stereo pairs.

A great amount of material properties is strongly influenced by dislocations, the carriers of plastic deformation. It is therefore paramount to have appropriate tools to quantify dislocation substructures with regard to their features, e.g., dislocation density, Burgers vectors or line direction. While the transmission electron microscope (TEM) has been the most widely-used equipment implemented to investigate dislocations, it usually is limited to the two-dimensional (2D) observation of three-dimensional (3D) structures. We reconstruct, visualize and quantify 3D dislocation substructure models from only two TEM images (stereo pairs) and assess the results. The reconstruction is based on the manual interactive tracing of filiform objects on both images of the stereo pair. The reconstruction and quantification method are demonstrated on dark field (DF) scanning (S)TEM micrographs of dislocation substructures imaged under diffraction contrast conditions. For this purpose, thick regions (>300 nm) of TEM foils are analyzed, which are extracted from a Ni-base superalloy single crystal after high temperature creep deformation. It is shown how the method allows 3D quantification from stereo pairs in a wide range of tilt conditions, achieving line length and orientation uncertainties of 3% and 7°, respectively. Parameters that affect the quality of such reconstructions are discussed.