Broadening the applications of the atom probe technique by ultraviolet femtosecond laser

Hono, K.; Ohkubo, T.; Chen, Y.M.; Kodzuka, M.; Oh-ishi, K.; Sepehri-Amin, H.; Li, F.; Kinno, T.; Tomiya, Shigetaka; Kanitani, Yuya

doi:10.1016/j.ultramic.2010.11.020

Cited by 96 publications

(46 citation statements)

References 27 publications

(30 reference statements)

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…The APT community has shown that atoms that are comparatively weakly bonded (e.g., metals) are more often evaporated as single events, whereas strongly bonded atoms (e.g., ceramics and polymers) tend to generate substantial numbers of complex ions and multiple events (22)(23)(24)(25). We also note that most atoms detected in each multiple event were observed to be spatially correlated on the detector plane (Fig.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 62%

Breaking the icosahedra in boron carbide

Xie

Sato

et al. 2016

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Findings of laser-assisted atom probe tomography experiments on boron carbide elucidate an approach for characterizing the atomic structure and interatomic bonding of molecules associated with extraordinary structural stability. The discovery of crystallographic planes in these boron carbide datasets substantiates that crystallinity is maintained to the point of field evaporation, and characterization of individual ionization events gives unexpected evidence of the destruction of individual icosahedra. Statistical analyses of the ions created during the field evaporation process have been used to deduce relative atomic bond strengths and show that the icosahedra in boron carbide are not as stable as anticipated. Combined with quantum mechanics simulations, this result provides insight into the structural instability and amorphization of boron carbide. The temporal, spatial, and compositional information provided by atom probe tomography makes it a unique platform for elucidating the relative stability and interactions of primary building blocks in hierarchically crystalline materials.bond dissociation | laser-assisted atom probe tomography | ab initio molecular dynamics | multiple hits I cosahedra are commonly observed polyhedra in nature and can be found in a wide variety of molecules, viruses, minerals, and ceramics (1-4). The architecturally efficient icosahedral geometry and tight covalent bonding result in an unusually stable atomic configuration and in many cases, extraordinary properties. The prodigious structural stability, rigidity, and strength of C 60 nearly spherical fullerene molecules (Bucky balls) are well-documented and have received considerable attention (5). Elemental boron and boron-based ceramics also form nearly spherical icosahedra (3,4,6), and the extreme hardness of these borides has been attributed to the presence of these icosahedra. In the case of boron carbide, one of the hardest structural ceramics, B 12 or B 11 C icosahedra are stacked with rhombohedral symmetry and connected by three atom chains (Fig. 1A) (3, 6).For boron carbide, the relative bond strength between the atoms in the icosahedra and chains is still being debated, but the icosahedra are generally thought to be very strong and stable because of their near-spherical shape and the highly delocalized fullerene-like intraicosahedral sp 2 bonds (3, 7-10). As a result of its high hardness, boron carbide is an excellent candidate for use in personal body armor; however, it undergoes a dramatic loss of ballistic performance in high-energy impacts. This loss is attributed to the formation of nanoscale amorphous shear bands (11). The shear amorphization of boron carbide has been confirmed by indentation experiments (12-16), but a fundamental understanding of the mechanism underlying it has not been fully established. It has been suggested that local shear first breaks the weaker chains and then, displaces and ruptures the stronger icosahedra (16), but recent quantum mechanics (QM) simulations attribute the instability to disinte...

show abstract

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 62%

Breaking the icosahedra in boron carbide

Xie

Sato

et al. 2016

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…19 Co 0.04 Al 0.01 Mg 0.01 O 0. 49 , [17] LiFePO 4 , [18] and layered Li 1.2 Ni 0.2 Mn 0.6 O 2 ; [19] these studies have shown the ability and benefit of APT for characterizationo ft hese materials,b ut interpretation of the results in view of Li-ion batteries is limited.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Three‐Dimensional Microstructural Characterization of Lithium Manganese Oxide with Atom Probe Tomography

et al. 2016

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The microstructure of the active material of Li‐ion batteries has a crucial influence on local ion‐transport processes but is not yet well characterized. Atom probe tomography (APT), a method combining sub‐nanometer spatial resolution with sub‐parts‐per‐thousand chemical resolution is well suited for 3 D microstructural characterization. Herein, the results of the characterization of lithium (nickel)manganese oxides [L(N)MO] with APT are presented. Structural and chemical defects of different dimensions such as the segregation of Na impurities to grain boundaries and the appearance of a Ni‐rich foreign phase are detected. Furthermore, a lamellar microstructure correlated to fluctuations in the local Li content was observed, and its influence on Li transport in the material is discussed. In defect‐free regions, the lattice planes of LMO are reconstructed for the first time, and the high spatial resolution of APT is revealed. Thus, the results demonstrate the potential of APT for the 3 D microstructural characterization of LMO.

show abstract

“…Therefore, a study of the UV laser's interaction with UO 2 is of key importance to understand how UO 2 performs in APT. Recent literature has reported a correlation between the wavelength of the laser and the band gap of the material and a consequent effect on the evaporation characteristics [27][28][29][30]. For the laser to assist in evaporation, its photon energy must be greater to or equal to the band gap energy the material to obtain full absorbance of the laser energy.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%