Validation of three-dimensional diffraction contrast tomography reconstructions by means of electron backscatter...

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Crystallography
• Solid State Physics

Background:

• Diffraction contrast tomography (DCT) provides 3D microstructure reconstructions of polycrystalline materials.
• Electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) is a key technique for characterizing grain structures and crystallographic orientations.
• Strontium titanate (SrTiO3) is a technologically important perovskite oxide.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare and validate 3D microstructure reconstructions from DCT using 2D EBSD maps.
• To assess the spatial resolution and accuracy of DCT at internal interfaces.
• To evaluate the morphological and crystallographic agreement between DCT and EBSD.

Main Methods:

• Reconstruction of polycrystalline strontium titanate microstructure using diffraction contrast tomography.
• Acquisition of two-dimensional electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) data from the same samples.
• Alignment and direct comparison of 2D grain maps from both techniques.
• Analysis of grain boundary networks, morphology, and crystallographic orientation.

Main Results:

• Remarkably good agreement was observed between DCT reconstructions and EBSD maps regarding grain boundary morphology.
• Crystallographic orientations of grain boundaries showed high consistency between the two methods.
• Minor deviations were identified and attributed to specific aspects of DCT reconstruction and EBSD data acquisition.

Conclusions:

• EBSD characterization validates the accuracy of DCT-derived microstructures in polycrystalline strontium titanate.
• The study confirms the high spatial resolution and crystallographic fidelity of DCT for internal interfaces.
• The findings support the combined use of DCT and EBSD for comprehensive materials characterization.