About this Abstract |
| Meeting |
MS&T25: Materials Science & Technology
|
| Symposium
|
Advanced Characterization of Materials for Nuclear, Radiation, and Extreme Environments VI
|
| Presentation Title |
Quantifying Amorphous Fractions using Different Characterization Techniques |
| Author(s) |
Will Gardner, Cale Overstreet, Maik Lang, Eric O'Quinn |
| On-Site Speaker (Planned) |
Will Gardner |
| Abstract Scope |
Amorphization is a degradation pathway for materials exposed to extreme environments and, thus, understanding how it progresses is crucial for designing next generation materials. However, accurately characterizing the amorphization process is complex and simulating extreme environments creates new challenges requiring small sample masses that limit traditional characterization techniques. Peak deconvolution is a relatively novel method of amorphous fraction calculation meant to overcome the restrictions of the sample. However, the accuracy of this method has not been reliably benchmarked across several characterization techniques. This research improves the methodology of determining amorphous fractions in materials by characterizing SiO2 samples of known amorphous fractions prepared by mixing crystalline and amorphous SiO2. We then analyzed all samples with a laboratory X-ray diffractometer, synchrotron light sources, and neutron diffraction. The data sets were subsequently analyzed using different software and each technique compared to establish best practices for quantifying amorphization fractions in materials. |