Comparative TEM, FIM and SANS Study of the Cu-2 at.% Co Decomposition

Abstract

Conventional Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), Field Ion Microscopy (FIM) and Small-Angle Neutron Scattering (SANS) are frequently applied methods for investigations of precipitation processes in alloys. They are in principle well suited for such investigations; however, in view of an increasing interest in distinct early decomposition stages, a classification of the methods with respect to resolution limit, accuracy and reliability in decomposition studies is urgently desired [1,2]. For this purpose, the three methods were applied together to investigate the alloy Cu-2 at.% Co. The system CuCo is known to form spherical precipitates of the Co-rich α-phase dispersed in a matrix of almost Dure Cu [3]. The present combined study was just published in details elsewhere [4]. Here, we briefly review the results, focusing on different procedures of SANS evaluations using the complementary informations obtained by FIM and TEM. We show how the investigations can thus be extended to such early stages which could not be evaluated quantitatively up to now, if only one of the methods is applied.