Three-Dimensional X-Ray Diffraction Microscopy Using High-Energy X-Rays

Abstract

AbstractThree-dimensional x-ray diffraction (3DXRD) microscopy is a tool for fast and nondestructive characterization of the individual grains, subgrains, and domains inside bulk materials. The method is based on diffraction with very penetrating hard x-rays (E ≥ 50 keV), enabling 3D studies of millimeter-to-centimeter-thick specimens.The position, volume, orientation, and elastic and plastic strain can be derived for hundreds of grains simultaneously. Furthermore, by applying novel reconstruction methods, 3D maps of the grain boundaries can be generated. The 3DXRD microscope in use at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility in Grenoble, France, has a spatial resolution of ∼5 μm and can detect grains as small as 150 nm. The technique enables, for the first time, dynamic studies of the individual grains within polycrystalline materials. In this article, some fundamental materials science applications of 3DXRD are reviewed: studies of nucleation and growth kinetics during recrystallization, recovery, and phase transformations, as well as studies of polycrystal deformation.