Diffraction-Based Multiscale Residual Strain Measurements.

Modern analytical tools, from microfocus X-ray diffraction (XRD) to electron microscopy-based microtexture measurements, offer exciting possibilities of diffraction-based multiscale residual strain measurements. The different techniques differ in scale and resolution, but may also yield significantly different strain values. This study, for example, clearly established that high-resolution electron backscattered diffraction (HR-EBSD) and high-resolution transmission Kikuchi diffraction (HR-TKD) [sensitive to changes in interplanar angle (Δθθ)], provide quantitatively higher residual strains than micro-Laue XRD and transmission electron microscope (TEM) based precession electron diffraction (PED) [sensitive to changes in interplanar spacing (Δdd)].

Strained Lamellar Structures Leading to Improved Thermoelectric Performance in MgSbBi.

MgSbBi solid-solutions represent an important class of thermoelectric (TE) materials due to their high efficiency and variable operating temperature range. Of particular significance for midtemperature applications is the MgSbBi composition whose superior thermoelectric (TE) performance is attributed to the complex conduction band edge in conjunction with alloy dominated phonon scattering. In this work, we show that microstructure also plays a significant role in lowering the lattice thermal conductivity which in turn affects the overall TE performance (change in peak zT values between 1.