Limitations of Thermal Stability Analysis via In-Situ TEM/Heating Experiments

This work highlights some limitations of thermal stability analysis via in-situ transmission electron microscopy (TEM)-annealing experiments on ultrafine and nanocrystalline materials. We provide two examples, one on nanocrystalline pure copper and one on nanocrystalline HT-9 steel, where in-situ TEM-annealing experiments are compared to bulk material annealing experiments. The in-situ TEM and bulk annealing experiments demonstrated different results on pure copper but similar output in the HT-9 steel. The work entails discussion of the results based on literature theoretical concepts, and expound on the inevitability of comparing in-situ TEM annealing experimental results to bulk annealing when used for material thermal stability assessment.

Automated summary

This study highlights the limitations of thermal stability analysis using in-situ transmission electron microscopy (TEM)-annealing experiments on ultrafine and nanocrystalline materials. By comparing in-situ TEM experiments with bulk material annealing experiments on nanocrystalline pure copper and HT-9 steel, they found different outcomes for pure copper but similar results for HT-9 steel. The discussion focuses on the necessity of comparing in-situ TEM annealing experimental results to bulk annealing for material thermal stability assessment.