Radial distribution function imaging by STEM diffraction: Phase mapping and analysis of heterogeneous nanostructured...

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Nanotechnology
• Microscopy

Background:

• Characterizing heterogeneous nanostructured amorphous materials is difficult due to disordered atomic arrangements at the nanoscale.
• Understanding local structure variations is crucial for correlating structure and properties in glassy materials.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a novel transmission electron microscopy (TEM) method for phase analysis and mapping of heterogeneous amorphous structures.
• To enhance the characterization of nanostructured amorphous materials.

Main Methods:

• Combined scanning TEM (STEM) diffraction mapping.
• Utilized radial distribution function (RDF) analysis.
• Incorporated hyperspectral analysis.

Main Results:

• The new TEM method demonstrated extreme sensitivity to small atomic packing variations.
• Successfully applied to an amorphous zirconium oxide and zirconium iron multilayer system.
• Enabled detailed phase analysis and mapping of heterogeneous amorphous structures.

Conclusions:

• The developed method provides new insights into local structure variations in glassy composite materials.
• Facilitates a deeper understanding of the correlation between structure and properties in amorphous materials.
• Offers a powerful tool for characterizing complex nanostructured systems.