| Affiliation: | 1. Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA, USA;2. Materials Science Division, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, CA, USA;3. SURVICE Engineering, Belcamp, MD, USA
DEVCOM Army Research Lab, Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD, USA;4. Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA;5. DEVCOM Army Research Lab, Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD, USA;6. Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ, USA |
| Abstract: | Compositional analysis of boron carbide on nanometer length scales to examine or interpret atomic mechanisms, for example, solid-state amorphization or grain-boundary segregation, is challenging. This work reviews advancements in high-resolution microanalysis to characterize multiple generations of boron carbide. First, ζ-factor microanalysis will be introduced as a powerful (scanning) transmission electron microscopy ((S)TEM) analytical framework to accurately characterize boron carbide. Three case studies involving the application of ζ-factor microanalysis will then be presented: (1) accurate stoichiometry determination of B-doped boron carbide using ζ-factor microanalysis and electron energy loss spectroscopy, (2) normalized quantification of silicon grain-boundary segregation in Si-doped boron carbide, and (3) calibration of a scanning electron microscope X-ray energy-dispersive spectroscopy (XEDS) system to measure compositional homogeneity differences of B/Si-doped arc-melted boron carbides in the as-melted and annealed conditions. Overall, the improvement and application of advanced analytical tools have helped better understand processing–microstructure–property relationships and successfully manufacture high-performance ceramics. |
