In situ neutron diffraction for analysing complex coarse‐grained functional materials
Lemos da Silva, Lucas
Knapp, Michael
Schoekel, Alexander
Etter, Martin
Studer, Andrew
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1107/S1600576723005940
Persistent URL: http://resolver.sub.uni-goettingen.de/purl?gldocs-11858/11102
Abstract
Complex functional materials play a crucial role in a broad range of energy‐related applications and in general for materials science. Revealing the structural mechanisms is challenging due to highly correlated coexisting phases and microstructures, especially for in situ or operando investigations. Since the grain sizes influence the properties, these microstructural features further complicate investigations at synchrotrons due to the limitations of illuminated sample volumes. In this study, it is demonstrated that such complex functional materials with highly correlated coexisting phases can be investigated under in situ conditions with neutron diffraction. For large grain sizes, these experiments are valuable methods to reveal the structural mechanisms. For an example of in situ experiments on barium titanate with an applied electric field, details of the electric‐field‐induced phase transformation depending on grain size and frequency are revealed. The results uncover the strain mechanisms in barium titanate and elucidate the complex interplay of stresses in relation to grain sizes as well as domain‐wall densities and mobilities.
This work reports in situ neutron diffraction experiments on a broad range of grain sizes of barium titanate. The study reveals the grain‐size‐dependent strain mechanisms and shows the competitiveness of neutron diffraction with high‐resolution synchrotron diffraction. image
Subjects
neutron diffractionin situ
applied electric fields
barium titanate
strain mechanisms
grain sizes
complex functional materials
microstructures
coexisting phases