ISSN:
1618-2650
Source:
Springer Online Journal Archives 1860-2000
Topics:
Chemistry and Pharmacology
Notes:
Summary The application properties of steel can be improved considerably by alloying with nitrogen which may present both as dissolved nitrogen and as nitride precipitate often in combination with other elements (TiN, AlN, Fe4N, Si3N4, CrN and VN). For a complete analytical description of a steel it is desirable to distinguish between dissolved N and precipitated nitride. The size of the precipitates vary from several micrometers down to a few nanometers. Investigations of microstructures in steel using an electron microprobe are limited to a particle size of approximately 1 μm. The exploration of the sub-micron area down to 35 nm particle diameter has been carried out using an Auger microprobe. After optimizing all parameters influencing the results of the measurements and the limits of the method, the identification and counting of precipitates in the submicron range is possible in a reasonably short time if an improved technique with a field emission gun and parallel detection is used. Great care has to be taken with the interpretation of elemental distribution images and line scans across a particle because a number of geometrical and backscatter effects influence the final result.
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/BF00321377
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