FIB cross‐sectioning of a single rapidly solidified hypereutectic Al‐Si powder particle for HRTEM

Abstract

A creative technique of in-situ focused ion beam (FIB) extraction was introduced to prepare a gas atomized rapidly solidified hypereutectic Al-Si single particle's cross-section for High Resolution Transmission Electron Microscopy (HRTEM) analysis. This preparation technique may be employed to characterize very inimitable samples that are abnormally wrought or intricate to prepare through traditional techniques. TEM results revealed that a gas-atomization/rapid solidification process leads to a homogeneous dispersion of 50-100-nm Si phase in the Al matrix. Stacking faults and dislocations are observed in the microstructure and will ultimately lead to the increased strength in a resultant bulk material manufactured from this powder to be further examined. Microsc. Res. Tech. 66:10-16, 2005. ' 2005 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Synthesis, Microstructural Characterization, and Mechanical Property Evaluation of Vacuum Plasma Sprayed Tantalum Carbide

“…MoKα radiation (λ=0.70930Å) has been used for X‐ray diffraction analysis using DiffracPlus Release 2000, EVA Version Rev 0 software (Bruker, Madison, WI). Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) samples were prepared using a FEI 200 Focused Ion Beam (FIB) (Hillsboro, OR) where 30 kV gallium ions were used to “machine” a sample thin enough for electron transparency 10 . TEM (FEI Tecnai F30) studies were done at operating voltage of 300 kV, and instrument included an energy dispersive X‐ray detector (EDX) for chemical analysis.…”

“…Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) samples were prepared using a FEI 200 Focused Ion Beam (FIB) (Hillsboro, OR) where 30 kV gallium ions were used to ''machine'' a sample thin enough for electron transparency. 10 TEM (FEI Tecnai F30) studies were done at operating voltage of 300 kV, and instrument included an energy dispersive X-ray detector (EDX) for chemical analysis. The microhardness and fracture toughness was evaluated using Shimadzu Microhardness Type M Vickers Indenter (Kyoto, Japan).…”

Structure and property evaluation of a vacuum plasma sprayed nanostructured tungsten–hafnium carbide bulk composite

“…Furthermore, at the rapid solidification and super cooling rates present in the plasma spray atomization and deposition environment, nucleation is also known to occur within the grain boundaries themselves [14]. Intergranular nucleation was seen within these components and during characterization of a rapidly solidified Al-Si hypereutectic near-net shape component formed in related studies [21]. Nano-sized HfC was found along the grain boundary (Fig.…”

“…Spray drying was used as a mechanism of feedstock (starting powder material) preparation in this study because (1) it prevented the feedstock from clogging the powder feeding assembly and halting production, (2) it is nearly impossible to entrain nanoscaled particles in the plasma stream without evaporation [19], and (3) the spray dried product was spherical, dense, and free-flowing. To enable adequate flow of particles during the plasma spray process, particular attention was paid to the feedstock powders' morphology, composition, size distribution, and density which play important roles in the quality of the bulk part (or coating) [20,21]. The particle morphology before and after the spray process were investigated using SEM.…”

An Efficient and Cost-Effective Method for Preparing Transmission Electron Microscopy Samples from Powders

“…Dual-beam focused ion-beam (FIB) milling has been implemented to prepare TEM samples from powders utilizing the lift-out method (Kitano et al, 1995; Prenitzer et al, 1998; Rea et al, 2005; Ipus et al, 2010; Lin et al, 2012). This technique is powerful and can be applied to both metals and ceramics.…”