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The microstructure of a Cu/V nanocomposite wire processed by cold drawing was investigated by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy and atom probe tomography. The experimental data clearly reveal some deformation-induced interfacial mixing where the vanadium filaments are nanoscaled. The mixed layer is a 2nm wide vanadium gradient in the face-centered cubic (fcc) Cu phase. This mechanical mixing leads to the local fragmentation and dissolution of the filaments and to the formation of vanadium supersaturated solid solutions in fcc Cu. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The morphology and composition of self organized manganese (Mn)-rich nanocolumns embedded in germanium (Ge) thin films were characterized at the atomic scale and in three dimensions with high resolution transmission electron microscopy and atom probe tomography. Experiments revealed Mn-enriched nano-columns of 3 nm in diameter with various morphologies. Their Mn-content was found smaller than that of the expected equilibrium phases and chemical fluctuations along the growth axis were additionally observed. By contrast, less than 0.05% of Mn was measured in the Ge-matrix. These results were correlated to the magnetic properties and allowed understanding the magnetic behavior of the nanocolumns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The properties of bulk nanostructured materials are often controlled by atomic-scale features such as segregation along defects or composition gradients. Here we discuss the complementary use of transmission electron microscopy and atom probe tomography to obtain a full description of nanostructures. The advantages and limitations of both techniques are highlighted on the basis of experimental data collected in severely deformed steels with a special emphasis on carbon spatial distribution. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]