FIB serial milling and lifting out of fine inclusions in an intensively melt sheared aluminum alloy

An intensively melt sheared aluminum alloy was cast to verify the possibility of heterogeneous nucleation of aluminum grains from fine oxide particles. A novel combined technique of serial milling and lifting out using the focused ion beam has detected fine particles at the grain center of aluminum. High resolution analytical electron microscopy shows that oxides can act as substrates for the nucleation of aluminum grains. Based on the observations, the possibility of survival and nucleation potency of the oxide is discussed.