Imagining New Dimensionalities in Imaging of Elasticity

The possibility of using elastic properties to quantitatively image the microstructure and, concurrently, the properties of advanced materials is an exciting breakthrough for the materials scientist, enabling new fundamental research. This talk will explore three new types of research activities that may be enabled by imaging with elasticity.

Firstly, we explore the possibility of using spatially resolved acoustic spectroscopy (SRAS) into a 3D characterization tool. We have successfully demonstrated the ability to integrate a SRAS system into a Robo-Met.3D serial sectioning instrument suited for the 3D serial sectioning of materials using precision mechanical polishing. The Robo-Met.3D typically uses an optical microscope to characterize the material. This 3D variant of SRAS makes it possible to study complex problems, such as micro texture in Ti-based alloys.

Secondly, we show our work on “functionally graded materials”, in which we use imaging techniques based upon elasticity, we have a possibility to not only study how microstructure and elastic behavior concurrently change across gradients of varying types (including both compositional and thermal gradients), but also a new potential route to use elasticity and microstructure to infer composition. These tools are vital to realize this promising new class of materials.

Lastly, we study problems across length scales, from the centimeter length scale to the angstrom length scale. There exists a variant of transmission electron microscopy (TEM) that enables the determination of crystal orientation with 1nm resolution. While PED studies often focus on grain orientation, we will introduce it here with the possibility of using PED to interpret changes in the elastic properties and bonding at sub-nanometer resolution.

In all three examples, we will focus on what may be possible using elasticity to characterize materials.