Dislocation imaging through mapping based on the combination of an electron energy-loss spectroscope with a scanning transmission electron microscope

This study analysed the electronic structures of dislocations in 9Cr steel using a spherical aberration-corrected scanning transmission electron microscope equipped with a monochromated electron energy-loss spectroscope. This is the first study to report that dislocations broaden a zero-loss peak (ZLP) and also induce an absorption phenomenon at approximately 0.5 eV in the ZLP tail, which are interpreted to be related to phonon scatterings by dislocations and interference effect of multiple beams, respectively. This work also experimentally demonstrates that the use of a spectrum-imaging method allows imaging of dislocations through ZLP broadening. The approach proposed herein is a promising technique for detecting dislocations in high Cr steel.