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Techniques of Structure Characterization

Type of study Bachelor
Language of instruction Czech
Code 653-2204/03
Abbreviation MSSn
Course title Techniques of Structure Characterization
Credits 5
Coordinating department Department of Materials Engineering and Recycling
Course coordinator prof. Ing. Vlastimil Vodárek, CSc.

Subject syllabus

1. Materiallography – characterization of structural parameters of technical materials. Basic reasons and aims of structure characterization.
2. Light microscopy. Refraction of light rays in thin lenses. Focal length. Depth of focus. Defects of thin lenses. Spatial resolution.
3. Scheme of light microscope. Methods of image contrast enhancement. Bright field, dark field, polarized light, phase contrast, microhardness testing.
4. Preparation of specimens for light microscopy (metals, composites, ceramic materials). Revealing of microstructure of metals by chemical and electrolytic etching. Basic methods of quantitative microscopy. Typical applications of light microscopy in materials engineering.
5. Interaction of X-rays and electrons with specimens. Diffraction on crystal lattice – Braag´s equation. Reciprocal lattice. Ewald´s sphere. Absorption of radiation. Principles of X-ray diffraction analysis of polycrystalline materials. Qualitative and quantitative phase analyses.
6. Texture analysis. Principles of X-ray analysis of single crystals. Applications of X-ray diffraction for evaluation of macro- and microstresses in technical materials.
7. X-ray fluorescence analysis and X-ray microscopy. Typical applications of X-ray analysis in materials engineering.
8. Principle of transmission electron microscope. Contrast mechanisms in amorphous and crystalline materials. Amplitude contrast – bright field and dark field images.
9. Phase contrast – lattice and structure imaging. Electron diffraction. Diffraction constant. Analysis of diffraction patterns: single- and polycrystals.
10. Preparation of specimens for transmission electron microscopy: extraction carbon replicas and thin metallic foils. Preparation of specimens from non-conductive materials.
11. Principle of scanning electron microscope. Basic mechanisms of contrast formation. Environmental scanning electron microscopy (ESEM). Diffraction of backscattered electrons (EBSD). Preparation of specimens for scanning electron microscopy.
12. X-ray spectral microanalysis. Basic principles of wave length and energy dispersive microanalysis. Qualitative and quantitative X-ray microanalyses.
13. Auger electron spectroscopy. Electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS). Energy filtering in transmission electron microscopy (EFTEM). Typical applications of electron microscopy and X-ray microanalysis in materials engineering.
14. Principles of scanning probe microscopy techniques: STP, ATM. Principles of ion field microscopy and atom probe spectrometry.

Literature

WILLIAMS, D. B. a C. B. CARTER. Transmission Electron Microscopy, A Textbook for Materials Science, 2nd ed., Springer, 2012. ISBN 978-0387765020 .
GOLDSTEIN, J. et al. Scanning electron microscopy and X–ray microanalysis, 3rd ed., New York: Springer US, 2003. ISBN 978-0-306-47292-3 .

Advised literature

WHISTON, C. X-Ray Methods. Chichester: J. Wiley & Sons, 1987.