| About this Abstract |
| Meeting |
MS&T23: Materials Science & Technology
|
| Symposium
|
Advanced Characterization of Materials for Nuclear, Radiation, and Extreme Environments IV
|
| Presentation Title |
Advanced In-situ Strain Mapping for Zr Oxidation by 4D-STEM |
| Author(s) |
Yongwen Sun, Yang Yang, Ying Han, Dan Zhou, Hugo Perez Garza, Alejandro Gomez Perez, Thanos Galanis |
| On-Site Speaker (Planned) |
Yongwen Sun |
| Abstract Scope |
Zirconium alloy fuel cladding undergoes oxidation in nuclear reactors, which weakens its mechanical strength and increases the likelihood of failure. Effective strain mapping is critical for understanding strain anisotropy due to zirconium oxidation and prompting the development of oxidation mechanism theory. Here, we developed an in-situ strain mapping method to study the oxidation in zirconium, by integrating four-dimensional scanning transmission electron microscopy (4D-STEM), advanced gas-cell-holder, precession electron microscopy and direct electron detector. The key to successful strain mapping by our method lies in ensuring high signal-to-noise ratio in the nano-beam electron diffraction patterns. The effect of gas pressure, sample thickness and electron beam precession will be discussed. Our approach facilitates high-quality strain mapping across a large field of view during zirconium oxidation with nanometer resolution. This proposed technique has significant implications for a wide range of corrosion studies, enabling more insights into the chemo-mechanical evolutions in materials under extreme environments. |