Three-dimensional coherent x-ray diffraction imaging of a ceramic nanofoam: determination of structural deformation mechanisms.
Ultralow density polymers, metals, and ceramic nanofoams are valued for their high strength-to-weight ratio, high surface area, and insulating properties ascribed to their structural geometry. We obtain the labrynthine internal structure of a tantalum oxide nanofoam by x-ray diffractive imaging. Finite-element analysis from the structure reveals mechanical properties consistent with bulk samples and with a diffusion-limited cluster aggregation model, while excess mass on the nodes discounts the dangling fragments hypothesis of percolation theory.
Barty
A
A
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, 7000 East Avenue, Livermore, CA 94550, USA.
Marchesini
S
S
Chapman
H N
HN
Cui
C
C
Howells
M R
MR
Shapiro
D A
DA
Minor
A M
AM
Spence
J C H
JC
Weierstall
U
U
Ilavsky
J
J
Noy
A
A
Hau-Riege
S P
SP
Artyukhin
A B
AB
Baumann
T
T
Willey
T
T
Stolken
J
J
van Buuren
T
T
Kinney
J H
JH