| About this Abstract |
| Meeting |
2025 TMS Annual Meeting & Exhibition
|
| Symposium
|
Elucidating Microstructural Evolution Under Extreme Environments
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| Presentation Title |
Advanced In-Situ Strain Mapping for Zr Oxidation by Precession-Assisted 4D-STEM |
| Author(s) |
Yongwen Sun, Ying Han, Dan Zhou, Athanassios S. Galanis, Alejandro Gomez-Perez, Starvos Nicolopoulos, Hugo Perez Garza, Yang Yang |
| On-Site Speaker (Planned) |
Yongwen Sun |
| Abstract Scope |
Zirconium alloy fuel cladding undergoes oxidation during reactor operations, which is a primary life-limiting degradation mechanism. Effective strain mapping is important to understand the evolution of strain, aiding in the development of oxidation-resistant alloys. This study introduces an in-situ strain and orientation/phase mapping technique with nanometer resolution to investigate the initial zirconium oxidation in a high-temperature gas environment. This method combines precession-assisted four-dimensional scanning transmission electron microscopy (4D-STEM), a gas-cell holder, and a direct electron detector (DED). The key to successful strain and orientation/phase mapping relies on maintaining a high signal-to-noise ratio and minimizing dynamic effects in nanobeam electron diffraction patterns. We will explore the impact of gas pressure, electron beam precession, and methods to put the reactions on-hold. Our method achieves high-quality strain and orientation/phase mapping at nanometer resolution over a large field of view during oxidation, providing valuable insights into the chemo-mechanical evolutions of materials under extreme conditions. |
| Proceedings Inclusion? |
Planned: |
| Keywords |
Nuclear Materials, Characterization, Phase Transformations |