In situ heating coherent X-ray diffraction imaging for visualizing nanometer-scale structural changes in metallic materials

Abstract

In this study, an in situ microscopy method was developed to nondestructively visualize structural changes at the nanometer scale in thick samples during heating. This method, termed in situ heating coherent X-ray diffraction imaging, successfully captured the structural changes in micrometer-sized Sn–Bi eutectic alloy particles. Specifically, it monitored the movement of the interface between the Bi- and Sn-rich phases as the temperature increased, with a full-period spatial resolution of 47.8 nm and a temporal resolution of 10 s. Additionally, the transformation from the solid to liquid phase was observed with a spatial resolution of 281.8 nm and a temporal resolution of 18.9 ms. This technique has considerable potential for visualizing dynamic phenomena in materials science, such as the formation and evolution of precipitates, cracks, and aggregates in materials, under high-temperature conditions.