INTRINSIC FINE-SCALE STRUCTURE IN COMPLEX MATERIALS: BEYOND GLOBAL CRYSTALLOGRAPHIC ANALYSIS

[摘要] Many important classes of materials owe their interesting properties to structures and patterns produced by local atomic deviations from ideal crystallographic positions. The pattern scale may vary from a few atomic spacings to many microns. In a macroscopic sample these deviations may still average to an ideal lattice while retaining the intrinsic fine-scale structures, or a phase transition may create a pattern of variants of a new crystallographic structure. We have carried out experiments on the formation of fine-scale structures in a range of materials, particularly those produced by phase transitions. We have used Resonant Ultrasound Spectroscopy for elastic properties and dissipation, neutron pair-distribution function, and electronic transport measurements to characterize samples. We have carried out extensive dynamical modeling based on Ginzberg-Landau formalisms to simulate the development and appearance of the structures. Our results highlight the importance of long-range strain fields and the intrinsic unstable equilibrium features of the materials studied.

[发布日期] 2000-12-01 [发布机构] Los Alamos National Laboratory

[关键词] Fine Structure;Crystallography;Crystal Structure;36 Materials Science;Elasticity