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Experimental Measurement of the Local Electronic Structure of Grain Boundaries in Ni3Al

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Abstract

We have examined grain boundaries in both undoped and boron doped Ni0.76Al0.24 using electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS), x-ray fluorescence (EDX) and annular dark field (ADF) imaging in a UHV STEM. A detailed study of a high angle grain boundary in nickel rich Ni3Al doped with 1000 ppm boron shows nickel enrichment occurring in a 5Å wide region. Boron segregation to the boundary is observed with EELS and is seen to vary along the boundary, coinciding with ADF contrast changes in the surrounding grains that may be due to local strain fields. Spatially resolved EELS of the Ni L2,3 core edge, which is sensitive to changes in the hole density in the nickel d band, shows boron rich regions of the grain boundary to have a bonding similar to that of the bulk material. Boundary regions without boron have an electronic structure similar to that of the undoped grain boundaries where the Fermi level lies deeper in the nickel d band. In addition to studying boron segregation, EELS provides a unique opportunity to examine the changes in bonding that control the local properties of the material.

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Acknowledgments

This research was supported by the DOE. (Grants #DE-FG02-85ER45211 and DE-FG02- 87ER45322). We are grateful to Dr. C.T. Liu of ORNL for providing us with the Ni3Al alloys. The use of the electron microscopy and materials preparation facilities of the Materials Science Center which is supported by the NSF is acknowledged. The Cornell UHV STEM was acquired through the NSF (Grant# DMR-8314255) and is operated by the Cornell Materials Science Center (Grant# DMR-9121654). Support and helpful discussions with Earl Kirkland and Mick Thomas are also acknowledged.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Dept., of Applied and Engineering Physics, Cornell University, Ithaca, N.Y., 14853, USA

    D.A. Muller & J. Silcox

  2. Dept., of Materials Science and Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, N.Y., 14853, USA

    S. Subramanian & S. L. Sass

  3. IBM Thomas J. Watson Research Centre, Yorktown Heights, USA

    P.E. Batson

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  1. D.A. Muller
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  2. P.E. Batson
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  3. S. Subramanian
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  4. S. L. Sass
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  5. J. Silcox
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Muller, D., Batson, P., Subramanian, S. et al. Experimental Measurement of the Local Electronic Structure of Grain Boundaries in Ni3Al. MRS Online Proceedings Library 319, 299–304 (1993). https://doi.org/10.1557/PROC-319-299

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1557/PROC-319-299

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