Skip to main content
U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Direct atomic-scale imaging of ceramic interfaces

Journal Article · · Acta Materialia

Understanding the atomic structure and chemistry of internal interfaces is often critical to developing interface structure-property relationships. Results are presented from several studies in which Z-contrast scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) and electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS) have been employed to solve the atomic structures of oxide interfaces. The Z-contrast imaging technique directly reveals the projected cation sublattices constituting the interface, while EELS provides chemical and local electronic structure information. Because Z-contrast imaging and EELS can be performed simultaneously, direct correlations between structure and chemistry can be made at the atomic scale. The utility of Z-contrast imaging and EELS is demonstrated in three examples: A ZrO{sub 2} 24{degree} [100] symmetric tilt grain boundary, a NiO-cubic ZrO{sub 2} eutectic interface and a Ni-cubic ZrO{sub 2} metal-ceramic interface. The power and versatility of Z-contrast and EELS for solving interface structures in oxide systems is clearly demonstrated in these three material systems.

Research Organization:
Univ. of Kentucky, Lexington, KY (US)
Sponsoring Organization:
US Department of Energy
OSTI ID:
20005383
Journal Information:
Acta Materialia, Journal Name: Acta Materialia Journal Issue: 15-16 Vol. 47; ISSN 1359-6454; ISSN ACMAFD
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

Similar Records

Atomic structure determination of NiO-ZrO{sub 2}(CaO) and Ni-ZrO{sub 2}(CaO) interfaces using Z-contrast imaging and EELS
Conference · Mon Dec 30 23:00:00 EST 1996 · OSTI ID:468754

Three-dimensional atomic structure of NiO-ZrO{sub 2}(cubic) interfaces
Journal Article · Sun Mar 01 23:00:00 EST 1998 · Acta Materialia · OSTI ID:616402

Atomic Scale Characterization of Complex Oxide Interfaces
Journal Article · Sat Dec 31 23:00:00 EST 2005 · Journal of Materials Science · OSTI ID:930744