Practical Electron Microscopy and Database

Figure 1433 shows the microstructure of an Al₈₇Ni₇Cu₃Ce₃ amorphous alloy. In the HAADF-STEM (Z-contrast) image, some brightest spots in white circles represent heavy Ce atoms or its small clusters (Z=58), while some darkest areas in red circles represent fcc-Al (Z=13) nanostructures in the amorphous matrix. However, the HRTEM image does not present clearly the structures of fcc-Al nanocrystals.

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Figure 1433. (a) HAADF-STEM image and (b) HRTEM image of an Al₈₇Ni₇Cu₃Ce₃ amorphous alloy. Adapted from [1]

[1] Eiji Abe, Atomic-Scale Characterization of Nanostructured Metallic Materials by HAADF/Z-contrast STEM, Materials Transactions, 44(10), 2035-2041, (2003).