B01 – Atomic structure and composition of defect phases in Mg and Ni-based systems

PI: Christina Scheu (MPIE Düsseldorf)

SFB researchers: Siyuan Zhang (MPIE Düsseldorf)

In project B01, a combination of electron microscopy and spectroscopy techniques are applied to search for defect phases and determine their atomic structures. For example, we examined grain boundaries that are critical to transport properties of materials [1-4], and discovered new grain boundary phases [2]. We have developed correlative methods with atom probe tomography (project B03) to investigate the surface oxide phases on metals, which are fundamental to understand their corrosion properties [5, 6]. We also studied planar defects [7] and interfaces [8] in intermetallic systems, so that their relationship to the mechanical properties can be revealed (see the figure below). Algorithms were developed (Project A04) to extract atomic structures of bulk and defect phases from high resolution microscopy images [9], facilitating the comparison with atomistic simulations.

 

Publications:

[1] D. Neuß, I.E. McCarroll, S. Zhang, E. Woods, W.J. Delis, L. Tanure, H. Springer, S. Sandlöbes, J. Yang, M. Todorova, D. Zander, C. Scheu, J.M. Schneider, M. Hans (2024) High-resolution chemical and structural characterization of the native oxide scale on a Mg-based alloy, Corrosion Science 227, pp. 111776 – https://doi.org/10.1016/j.corsci.2023.111776

[2] S. Zhang, Z. Xie, P. Keuter, S. Ahmad, L. Abdellaoui, X. Zhou, N. Cautaerts, B. Breitbach, S. Aliramaji, S. Korte-Kerzel, M. Hans, J.M. Schneider, C. Scheu (2022) Atomistic structures of <0001> tilt grain boundaries in a textured Mg thin film, Nanoscale 14, pp. 18192 – https://doi.org/10.1039/d2nr05505h

[3] S. Aliramaji, P. Keuter, D. Neuß, M. Hans, D. Primetzhofer, D. Depla, J.M. Schneider (2022) Effect of growth temperature and atmosphere exposure time on impurity incorporation in sputtered Mg, Al, and Ca thin films, Materials 16, pp. 414 – https://doi.org/10.3390/ma16010414

[4] M. Hans, P. Keuter, A. Saksena, J.A. Sälker, M. Momma, H. Springer, J. Nowak, D. Zander, D. Primetzhofer, J.M. Schneider (2021) Opportunities of combinatorial thin film materials design for the sustainable development of magnesium-based alloys, Scientific Reports 11, pp. 17454 – https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-97036-6