This excerpt from ASM Handbook, Volume 10: Materials Characterization describes the technique used to determine crystal structure and the arrangement of atoms in a unit cell.

Advanced thermoelectric materials open new horizons for use in solid state power generation and refrigeration applications. This article describes a project that used state-of-the-art computational modeling and high-throughput experimentation to strategically screen the extensive material space and accelerate learning for materials development.

Pure screw dislocations can become helical by absorbing defects such as vacancies and develop attractive interaction with another helical dislocation to form a double helix structure.

This article reviews the analytical techniques used for phase identification in components, including x-ray diffraction, metallography/microscopy, electron backscatter diffraction, trasmission electron microscopy,and atom probe tomography. The article addresses the advantages and disadvantages of each technique compared to the other approaches.

Edgar Bain pioneered the study of the reaction of austenite to lower temperature phases during isothermal transformation, resulting in a new phase named in his honor—Bainite.

Characterizing ice and snow is important not only for building accurate climate models, but also for activities such as relating the mechanical properties of sea ice to its microstructure so that the interaction of ice with ships and structures can be better understood. This article describes the microstructural characterization of ice. Many microstructural characterization techniques that can be applied to other materials also can be used to examine ice.

A mixed-reality application called HoloMicroscope helps microscopists make decisions and analyze data efficiently while using transmission electron microscopes. In the context of materials research, using mixed reality augments a user’s interaction by allowing them to see a TEM column and its control panels, while also interacting with three-dimensional holograms that are projected into their field of view. Introduction of mixed reality into a data-intensive research workflow could help accelerate scientific discovery. This article provides background about technology and a case study in its use.

This introduction to the metallurgy of flatware describes the grades and qualities of metals used in typical cutlery and the reasons to choose one set over another.

Throughout metal making history, nothing has exceeded the technical importance, scientific complexity, and human curiosity involved in the hardening of steel. After the bustling 1890s, with its exciting and productive discoveries around steel metallography, a period of quiet consolidation occurred in the early 20th century. This article describes the breakthroughs in steel metallurgy that occurred after this period by such pioneers as William Chandler Roberts-Austen, Adolf Martens, Henry Marion Howe, and Edgar C. Bain.

Capable of stopping 50-caliber, armor-piercing rounds, ALON and Spinel are hard and durable transparent polycrystalline materials manufactured using powder based processes. This article describes their unique combination of mechanical, optical, and chemical properties, and reports on recent advances in manufacturing to enable their use for critical defense, industrial, and consumer applications.

This article describes the development of applications of phosphate-based materials and characterizes five non-apatite phosphate minerals using 3D optical profilometry. The results reveal the suitability of these materials for new uses in energy storage and conversion as well as medical applications.

Because electron backscatter diffraction is a surface-sensitive technique, preparing the sample surface so that it is smooth and free of defects is crucial to successful analysis. Supplementing hand polishing with ion milling provides a superior surface finish free of operator or technique-related errors, thus enabling a high-confidence EBSD examination of the microstructure of even the most complex materials.

A new approach aims to fabricate parts with targeted, site-specific properties for a wide range of applications in extreme environments within the aviation, space, and energy sectors.

Molybdenum aluminum boride (MAB) phases have layered nanolaminate structures, suiting them for potential use in cutting tools, leading edges for hypersonic vehicles, high-temperature electrodes, and other demanding applications. This case study demonstrates a process for the production of MoAlB particulates and their incorporation in polymer-matrix composites.

New research explores a zirconia-based shape memory ceramic that exhibits a unique type of electrically triggered martensitic transformation.

The high heating and cooling rates of additive manufacturing make it a good fit for metallic glasses, whose high elasticity, strength, hardness, and corrosion resistance are used in high-performance applications such as aerospace, defense, and biomedical devices.

Aerosol deposition offers an alternative to conventional thin film processes when mesoscale coatings are needed. The process is being used to create readily integrated, high density ceramic and metallic thick films on a variety of substrates at room temperature.

Recent advances in neutron sources and detector technologies enable new contrast mechanisms to determine crystalline information for metal components. This new capability can help validate emerging additive manufacturing processes used to produce parts with complex geometries.

Beryllium won a lengthy competition as the material of choice for the mirrors on the James Webb Space Telescope, set to launch in 2018. This article documents the development history leading up to that decision. It took decades to perfect powder atomization and HIP'ing processes to make optical-grade beryllium components homogeneous, isotropic, polishable, thermally and dimensionally stable, and above all, predictable.

Oxide dispersion strengthened (ODS) alloys have potential to improve turbine blade temperature capability beyond that of superalloy single crystals. In this article, the case is made for the potential to replace single crystals as high-pressure turbine blades with ODS nickel-base alloys. ODS alloys combine proven technology, substantial gains in capability over today’s single crystal alloys, and a clear development path to overcome identified risks.