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Zeitschriftenartikel:

J. Österreicher, M. Kumar, A. Schiffl, S. Schwarz, D. Hillebrand, G. Bourret:
"Sample preparation methods for scanning electron microscopy of homogenized Al-Mg-Si billets: A comparative study";
Materials Characterization, 122 (2016), S. 63 - 69.



Kurzfassung englisch:
Characterization of Mg-Si precipitates is crucial for optimizing the homogenization heat treatment of Al-Mg-Si
alloys. Although sample preparation is key for high quality scanning electronmicroscopy imaging,most common
methods lead to dealloying ofMg-Si precipitates. In this articlewe systematically evaluate different sample preparationmethods:
mechanical polishing, etching with various reagents, and electropolishing using different electrolytes.
We demonstrate that the use of a nitric acid and methanol electrolyte for electropolishing a
homogenized Al-Mg-Si alloy prevents the dissolution of Mg-Si precipitates, resulting in micrographs of higher
quality. This preparationmethod is investigated in depth and the obtained scanning electron microscopy images
are comparedwith transmission electronmicrographs: the shape and size ofMg-Si precipitates appear very similar
in either method. The scanning electron micrographs allow proper identification and measurement of the
Mg-Si phases including needles with lengths of roughly 200 nm. These needles are β″ precipitates as confirmed
by high resolution transmission electron microscopy


"Offizielle" elektronische Version der Publikation (entsprechend ihrem Digital Object Identifier - DOI)
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.matchar.2016.10.020


Erstellt aus der Publikationsdatenbank der Technischen Universität Wien.