Abstract Scope |
A new method applied to the sensor proposed by Zhang et al. in 2018 will be presented that combines the benefits of this design with the fast heating possible with nanocalorimetry. By applying a PID regulated pulse instead of constant wattage, we unlock an accessible method to sense quick microstructural changes that would be invisible to heat capacity based measurements. In this study, multilayer Ni/Al thin films were linearly heated at 25, 50, 100, and 200 K/s to over 700°C, showing two distinct peaks in resistance change. Through SAD, STEM, and EDX analysis on cross sections taken ex-situ from samples quenched before and after these peaks of interest, we find strong evidence that peak 1 corresponds to Ni diffusing through Al grain boundaries forming intermetallic phases that inhibit the highly conductive Al pathway. This presents the potential to design and calibrate novel heterogeneous structures in a high throughput manner. |