Quantitative transmission electron microscopy of small agglomerates in HF-O

Abstract

High amounts of gases or carbon are soluble on interstitial sites of the hexagonal lattice of hafnium. The gas atoms influence nearly all physical properties; e.g., the critical resolved shear stress τ (CRSS) is drastically increased with an increasing content of gas atoms. Different authors measured the temperature dependence of τ for different 0 concentrations (cO ≲ 1.5 at%). The CRSS increases strongly with decreasing measuring temperature T. Ruano and Elssner concluded intuitively from the non continious shape of the τ-T curve, that besides the interstitially solved single gas atoms also agglomerates of gas atoms should be present in the specimens. These agglomerates act as strong barriers against plastic deformation. - A superposition of the 2 types of barriers (single interstitial gas atoms and agglomerates) could explain the shape of the τ-T curve. TEM studies were performed to prove this assumption of the existence of agglomerates. Hafnium specimens with different 0 content (0.13, 0.65 and 1.17 at%0) were electrolytically thinned and investigated with a Siemens ELMISKOP 102 operated at 125 kV.