Open AccessMultivariate statistical analysis of spectrum lines from Si{sub 3}N{sub 4} grain boundaries
Author(s) -
Philip M. Rice,
K.B. Alexander,
Ian Anderson
Publication year - 1997
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Reports
DOI - 10.2172/505345
Subject(s) - grain boundary , crystallite , materials science , ceramic , transmission electron microscopy , phase (matter) , analytical chemistry (journal) , multivariate statistics , spectral line , nanometre , line (geometry) , crystallography , mineralogy , nanotechnology , chemistry , physics , microstructure , mathematics , metallurgy , statistics , geometry , composite material , organic chemistry , chromatography , astronomy
It is well known that the high-temperature properties of polycrystalline Si{sub 3}N{sub 4} ceramics are strongly influenced by the nanometer-scale glassy phase at the grain boundaries. The authors have recently analyzed the variation of the near-edge fine structure (ELNES) of the Si-L{sub 2,3} edges using a combination of TEM spectrum-line acquisition with an imaging filter and multivariate statistical analysis. The glassy phase at the Si{sub 3}N{sub 4} grain boundaries is easily damaged by the fine probes usually used in scanning transmission electron microscopy to acquire ELNES data. Thus an alternative method using a Gatan imaging filter (GIF), called TEM spectrum-line analysis, was used. This technique will be used to correlate variations in grain boundary chemistry and bonding with the observed performance of Si{sub 3}N{sub 4} ceramics