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Terminated in academic year 2019/2020

Techniques of Structure Characterization

Type of study Bachelor
Language of instruction Czech
Code 636-0407/02
Abbreviation MSS
Course title Techniques of Structure Characterization
Credits 8
Coordinating department Department of Material Engineering
Course coordinator prof. Ing. Vlastimil Vodárek, CSc.

Subject syllabus

Lectures:
- Materialography - characterisation of structural parameters of technical materials.
- Basic reasons and aims of materials structure characterisation.
- Light microscopy. Beam diagrams in thin lenses. Focal distance. Depth of focus. Defects in thin lenses. Spatial resolution of light microscopy.
- Scheme of light microscope. Methods of image contrast improvement: bright field, dark field, polarised light, phase contrast. Microhardness.
- Preparation of specimens for light microscopy (metals, composites, ceramics). Chemical and electrolytic etching of specimens for revealing of microstructure.
- Basic principles of quantitative microscopy. Typical applications of light microscopy in materials science.
- Interaction of X rays and electrons with specimens. Diffraction on crystal lattice: Bragg´s equation. Reciprocal lattice. Ewald sphere. Absorption of radiation.
- X ray diffraction on polycrystalline materials. Qualitative and quantitative analyses. Texture analysis.
- X ray analysis on monocrystals. Applications of X ray diffraction for evaluation of internal stresses in technical materials: X ray tensometry.
- X ray fluorescence analysis and X ray microscopy. Typical applications of X rays in materials science.
- Principle of transmission electron microscope. Contrast mechanisms in amorphous and crystalline materials. Amplitude contrast: bright fied and dark field images.
- Phase contrast: lattice image and high resolution structure imaging. Electron diffraction. Diffraction constant. Analysis of diffraction patterns - monocrystals and polycrystals.
- Preparation of specimens for transmission electron microscopy: extraction carbon replicas and thin metallic foils. Preparation of specimens from non conductive materials.
- Principle of scanning electron microscope. Basic mechanisms of image contrast formation. Environmental scanning electron microscopy (ESEM). Diffraction of backscattered electrons (EBSD). Preparation of specimens for scanning electron microscopy.
- X ray microanalysis. Basic principles of wave length and energy dispersive microanalysis. Qualitative and quantitative X ray microanalysis.
- Auger spectroscopy. Electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS). Energy filtered transmission electron microscopy (EFTEM). Typical applications of electron microscopy and X ray microanalysis in materials science.
- Scanning probe microscopy techniques - Scanning tunelling microscopy (STM) and Atomic force microscopy (AFM).
- Ion field microscopy and Atom probe FIM.

Seminars:
1. Introduction.
2. Preparation of specimens for light microscopy, etching of specimens. Qualitative phase analysis.
3. Microcleanliness evaluation of steels. Grain size measurement.
4. Evaluation of volume fraction of phases in technical materials. Microhardness measurement of microstructural constituents and phases.
5. X-ray absorption in specimens. Basics of crystallography. Transformation matrices.
6. Qualitative X-ray diffraction analysis.
7. Quantitative X-ray diffraction analysis.
8. Test - light microscopy and X-ray diffraction.
9. Calculation of diffraction constant of electron microscope. Interpretation of ring diffraction patterns.
10. Interpretation of spot diffraction patterns.
11. Final test, credit.

Literature

WILLIAMS, D. B., C. B. CARTER. Transmission Electron Microscopy. A Textbook for Materials Science, Second Edition, New York: Springer-Verlag US, 2009. ISBN 978-0-387-76502-0 .
GOLDSTEIN, J., et al. Scanning electron microscopy and X – ray microanalysis, Third Edition, New York: Springer-Verlag US, 2003. ISBN 978-1-4613-4969-3 .

Advised literature

WHISTON, C. X-ray methods. Chichester: Wiley Blackwell, 1987. ISBN-13: 978-0471913863 .