Advance in Orientation Microscopy: Quantitative Analysis of Nanocrystalline Structures

The special properties of nanocrystalline materials are generally accepted to be a consequence of the high density of planar defects (grain and twin boundaries) and their characteristics. However, until now, nanograin structures have not been characterized with similar detail and statistical relevance as coarse-grained materials, due to the lack of an appropriate method. In the present paper, a novel method based on quantitative nanobeam diffraction in transmission electron microscopy (TEM) is presented to determine the misorientation of adjacent nanograins and subgrains. Spatial resolution of <5 nm can be achieved. This method is applicable to characterize orientation relationships in wire, film, and bulk materials with nanocrystalline structures. As a model material, nanocrystalline Cu is used. Several important features of the nanograin structure are discovered utilizing quantitative analysis: the fraction of twin boundaries is substantially higher than that observed in bright-field images in the TEM; small angle grain boundaries are prominent; there is an obvious dependence of the grain boundary characteristics on grain size distribution and mean grain size.