Microscopy & microanalysis: Challenges & opportunities in eResearch

In an age dominated by streamlining and optimisation of data capture and analysis, the investment in and adoption of advanced cyber-infrastructure has been identified as rudimentary and an epoch making breakthrough for the Australian characterisation community in materials informatics – microscopy and microanalysis. Realisation of this vision for leading edge e-Research initiatives involves significant technological requirements in establishing a collaborative network of shared characterisation facilities accessible throughout Australia, networking specialist equipment nodes in major capital cities to smaller, remote nodes via high speed networks in the form of active or passive telepresence microscopy. Investment in cyber-infrastructure is not only essential, but fundamental in increasing accessibility, robustness and interoperability of the underlying ICT structure and participation in e-Research initiatives, providing significant impact in delivering research outcomes to researchers in remote locations, broadening the user base of selected instrumentation, broadcasting and disseminating training courses and seminars, and providing productive and cost effective interaction between operational committees of the characterisation community. Providing such an interface for collaboration means addressing challenges limiting its uptake. Lack of awareness of available facilities; lack of software support; incorporation of legacy systems; lack of standardised user interfaces and interoperable systems across nodes; and lack of skills and expertise in accessing and utilising facilities are hindering the overall strategic plan. Overcoming the current challenges limiting the uptake of e-Research infrastructure involves employing specialist personnel to be embedded within and move between specific projects and nodes within the characterisation community, transferring knowledge to enhance awareness, skills and capabilities to maximise existing and future investment in instruments, people and research – a collaborative force towards e-Research, with microscopy on the cusp of this challenge. This presentation will encompass the current trends, opportunities and challenges for e-Research in microscopy and microanalysis

Integrated analysis of hydrogen embrittlement mechanisms of a steel from its mechanical behaviours and atom probe tomography

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Unabridged phase diagram for single-phased FeSexTe1-x thin films

A complete phase diagram and its corresponding physical properties are essential prerequisites to understand the underlying mechanism of iron based superconductivity. For the structurally simplest 11 (FeSeTe) system, earlier attempts using bulk samples have not been able to do so due to the fabrication difficulties. Here, thin FeSexTe1-x films with the Se content covering the full range were fabricated by using pulsed laser deposition method. Crystal structure analysis shows that all films retain the tetragonal structure in room temperature. Significantly, the highest superconducting transition temperature (TC = 20 K) occurs in the newly discovered domain, 0.6 - 0.8. The single-phased superconducting dome for the full Se doping range is the first of its kind in iron chalcogenide superconductors. Our results present a new avenue to explore novel physics as well as to optimize superconductors

Flame synthesis of carbon nanostructures on Ni-plated hardmetal substrates

In this article, we demonstrate that carbon nanostructures could be synthesized on the Ni-plated YG6 (WC-6 wt% Co) hardmetal substrate by a simple ethanol diffusion flame method. The morphologies and microstructures of the Ni-plated layer and the carbon nanostructures were examined by various techniques including scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and Raman spectroscopy. The growth mechanism of such carbon nanostructures is discussed. This work may provide a strategy to improve the performance of hardmetal products and thus to widen their potential applications

Clustering and Precipitation Processes in Microalloyed Aluminium Alloys(APFIM/FIM)

Recent progress in understanding the origins of hardening in Al-1.7Cu-0.01Sn (at. %) and Al-1.1Cu-1.7Mg-(0.1Ag, 0.3-0.5Si) (at. %) microalloyed alloys is presented. The results of systematic studies involving atom probe field ion microscopy in conjunction with transmission electron microscopy indicate that the precipitation processes depend to a considerable degree upon the nature of pre-precipitate clustering reactions which occur early in the decomposition of the solid solution. Furthermore, it is shown that the presence of these co-clusters can influence significantly the alloy properties

Structural and electronic properties of Eu- and Pd-doped ZnO

Doping ZnO with rare earth and 4d transition elements is a popular technique to manipulate the optical properties of ZnO systems. These systems may also possess intrinsic ferromagnetism due to their magnetic moment borne on 4f and 4d electrons. In this work, the structural, electronic, and magnetic properties of Eu- and Pd-doped ZnO were investigated by the ab initio density functional theory methods based on generalized gradient approximation. The relative stability of incorporation sites of the doped elements in the ZnO host lattice was studied. The ground state properties, equilibrium bond lengths, and band structures of both the ZnO:Eu and ZnO:Pd systems were also investigated. The total and partial densities of electron states were also determined for both systems. It was found that in the ZnO:Eu system, ambient ferromagnetism can be induced by introducing Zn interstitial which leads to a carrier-mediated ferromagnetism while the ZnO:Pd system possesses no ferromagnetism

Intergranular precipitation and chemical fluctuations in an additively manufactured 2205 duplex stainless steel

Fluctuations in energy distribution during additive manufacturing (AM) can result in spatial and temporal thermal transients. These transients can lead to complexities, most significantly when alloys with multi phases are subjected to AM. Here we unveil such complexities in a duplex stainless steel, where we report an unanticipated formation of a Ni-Mn-Si rich phase at grain boundaries and a local fluctuation in Cr and Fe concentrations in regions close to grain boundaries, providing Cr-rich precursors for Cr2N formation after laser powder bed fusion (LPBF). The formation of these phases is believed to be due to severe thermal gyrations and thermal stresses associated with LPBF resulting in a high-volume fraction of ferrite supersaturated with N and Ni, and a high density of dislocations accelerating diffusion and phase transformations