Microstructure analysis of 8 μm electrolytic Cu foil in plane view using EBSD and TEM

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Electrochemistry
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Ultrathin electrolytic copper foil is crucial for lightweight mobile devices and lithium secondary batteries.
• Decreasing copper foil thickness leads to mechanical property degradation, including reduced elongation and tearing.
• Analyzing the microstructure of ultrathin copper foil presents significant specimen preparation and observation challenges.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop an effective method for analyzing the microstructure of 8 μm thick electrolytic copper foil using only mechanical polishing.
• To compare electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) maps with transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images.
• To identify the optimal cleanup technique for correcting errors in EBSD maps of ultrathin copper foil.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) specimens using solely mechanical polishing.
• Analysis of the microstructure of 8 μm thick electrolytic copper foil in plane view.
• Comparative analysis of EBSD maps and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images.

Main Results:

• Successfully fabricated EBSD specimens of ultrathin copper foil using only mechanical polishing.
• Established a method for analyzing the plane-view microstructure of 8 μm thick copper foil.
• Identified optimal cleanup techniques for enhancing EBSD map accuracy by comparing with TEM data.

Conclusions:

• Mechanical polishing is a viable method for preparing ultrathin copper foil for EBSD microstructure analysis.
• Accurate microstructure analysis of ultrathin copper foil is essential for understanding and improving its mechanical properties.
• Optimized EBSD data processing is critical for reliable characterization of advanced battery materials.