Solid-solid displacive, structural phase transformations typically undergo a discrete structural change from a parent to a product phase. Coupling electron microscopy, three-dimensional atom probe, and first-principles computations, we present the first direct evidence of a novel mechanism for a coupled diffusional-displacive transformation in titanium-molybdenum alloys wherein the displacive component in the product phase changes continuously with changing composition. These results have implications for other transformations and cannot be explained by conventional theories.
Epitaxial films of the pyrochlore Nd2Ir2O7 have been grown on (111)-oriented yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) substrates by off-axis sputtering followed by post-growth annealing. X-ray diffraction (XRD) results demonstrate phase-pure epitaxial growth of the pyrochlore films on YSZ. Scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) investigation of an Nd2Ir2O7 film with a short post-annealing provides insight into the mechanism for crystallization of Nd2Ir2O7 during the post-annealing process. STEM images reveal clear pyrochlore ordering of Nd and Ir in the films. The epitaxial relationship between the YSZ and Nd2Ir2O7 is observed clearly while some interfacial regions show a thin region with polycrystalline Ir nanocrystals.
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