X-ray microscopy as a fast response tool to exploit processing-microstructure-property relationships for advanced material development

了解工艺-微观结构-性能关系对新材料的开发至关重要。因此，研究联盟的目标是了解控制效应的基本机制，如不同材料的结合，孔隙密度演变或基质内相的空间分布。到目前为止，像光学或电子显微镜这样的分析技术被用来解决这些问题。限制这一领域研究的往往不是横向分辨率，而是获得的数据仅来自横截面。此外，材料的样品制备是一个耗时的过程，因此，是材料和工艺发展的主要障碍。3D材料表征的一种方法是将扫描电子显微镜（SEM）与聚焦离子束（FIB）相结合。然而，由于FIB的低侵蚀率，可以探测的体积非常小。相比之下，随着X射线显微镜（XRM）技术的出现，可以用适当的分辨率分析更大的体积，以解决材料科学中的许多问题。此外，样品制备的便利性以及自动化操作模式下的高通量为从材料表征到工艺开发的反馈率开辟了一条新的途径。拟议的仪器将被广泛用于研究联盟内的合作研究，其成员来自ZFM （<s:1> r Festkörperchemie und Neue Materialien/固态化学和新材料中心）、汉诺威医学院和连续介质力学研究所。该研究将涉及材料科学的广泛领域，涵盖综合计算材料工程（ICME）方法，生物医学应用新材料的开发以及有关天然材料的矿物学主题。对于许多项目来说，相或缺陷密度的空间分布及其演变是令人感兴趣的。此外，材料在机械载荷和/或化学暴露下的响应将在XRM中进行原位研究。利用XRM也可以获得三维衍射信息。这些数据将用于将损伤演变与微观结构参数（如局部存在的织构）进行关联。XRM还将与现有的显微技术相结合，在多个长度尺度上表征材料。这种方法将作为一种有效的工具来验证目前由连续介质力学界开发的先进的多尺度模型。

Understanding the process-microstructure-property relationship is crucial for the development of new materials. Thus, the objective of the research consortium is to understand the fundamental mechanisms that govern effects such as bonding of different materials, pore density evolution or spatial distribution of phases within a matrix. So far, analytical techniques like optical or electron microscopy are used to address these issues. What limits research in this field often is not lateral resolution, but the fact that the data obtained comes only from cross-sections. In addition, sample preparation of materials is a time-consuming process, and thus, is a major roadblock for materials and process development. One approach for 3D material characterisation is the combination of scanning electron microscopy (SEM) with a focused-ion beam (FIB). Due to the low erosion rates of the FIB, the volume that can be probed is, however, extremely small. By contrast, with the advent of the X ray microscope (XRM) technique significantly larger volume can be analysed with a resolution appropriate to address many question in materials science. In addition, the ease of sample preparation along with the high-throughput in automated operation mode opens up a new avenue in terms of feedback rate from material characterization to process development. The proposed instrument will be intensely used for collaborative research within the research consortium with members from the ZFM (Zentrum für Festkörperchemie und Neue Materialien/Centre for Solid State Chemistry and New Materials), the Hannover Medical School, and the Institute of Continuum Mechanics. The research will address a wide field in materials science and cover Integrated Computational Materials Engineering (ICME) approaches, development of new materials for biomedical applications as well as topics from mineralogy regarding natural materials. For many of the projects, spatial distribution of phases or defect densities and their evolution are of interest. Moreover, the response of materials under mechanical loading and/or chemical exposure will be studied in-situ in the XRM. With the XRM 3D diffraction information can be obtained as well. This data will be employed to correlation damage evolution with microstructural parameters such as the locally present texture. The XRM will also be combined with the already available microscopic techniques to characterize the materials on multiple length scales. This approach will then be used as an efficient tool to validate the advanced multi-scale models currently developed by the continuum mechanics community.