title: Advanced three-dimensional electron microscopy techniques in the quest for better structural and functional materials.
abstract: After a short review of electron tomography techniques for materials science, this overview will cover some recent results on different shape memory and nanostructured metallic systems obtained by various three-dimensional (3D) electron imaging techniques. In binary Ni-Ti, the 3D morphology and distribution of Ni4Ti3precipitates are investigated by using FIB/SEM slice-and-view yielding 3D data stacks. Different quantification techniques will be presented including the principal ellipsoid for a given precipitate, shape classification following a Zingg scheme, particle distribution function, distance transform and water penetration. The latter is a novel approach to quantifying the expected matrix transformation in between the precipitates. The different samples investigated include a single crystal annealed with and without compression yielding layered and autocatalytic precipitation, respectively, and a polycrystal revealing different densities and sizes of the precipitates resulting in a multistage transformation process. Electron tomography was used to understand the interaction between focused ion beam-induced Frank loops and long dislocation structures in nanobeams of Al exhibiting special mechanical behaviour measured by on-chip deposition. Atomic resolution electron tomography is demonstrated on Ag nanoparticles in an Al matrix.
authors.affiliation: EMAT, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, B-2020 Antwerp, Belgium.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Schryvers
authors.affiliation: EMAT, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, B-2020 Antwerp, Belgium.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Cao
authors.affiliation: EMAT, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, B-2020 Antwerp, Belgium.
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Tirry
authors.affiliation: EMAT, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, B-2020 Antwerp, Belgium.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Idrissi
authors.affiliation: EMAT, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, B-2020 Antwerp, Belgium.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Van Aert
keywords: 62.20.fg; 62.25.-g; 68.37.-d; Ni–Ti; atomic resolution; electron tomography; nanomechanics; precipitation; slice-and-view