Three-dimensional (3D) tomography using focused-ion beam (FIB) microscopy is a powerful technique to generate sub-micron resolution volumes that can expand upon the information acquired two-dimensionally with scanning electron microscopy (SEM). This is critical for contextualized phenomena that need to be captured in 3D to understand material evolution, such as degradation mechanisms of nuclear structural materials (e.g., corrosion, irradiation). This direct observable data can also validate 3D mesoscale models predicting microstructure and composition evolution, useful for expediting the materials qualification for advanced nuclear reactors. However, FIB tomography requires optimized data collection/processing, compiling 3D datasets from different detectors. Specifically, overlaying both elemental composition and microstructural data acquired from SEM energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDS) and electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) techniques would be ideal to correlate the evolution in composition and microstructure, respectively. This requires a simplified workflow for acquiring, processing, and visualizing data.
The purpose of this presentation is to document efforts towards development of an optimized FIB tomography workflow for experimentally-informed 3D mesoscale modelling of degraded nuclear structural materials. Topics that will be covered include: 1) collaboration with ThermoFisher Scientific to optimize data acquisition, 2) process to release large datasets to the Nuclear Research Data System (NRDS) to the public, and 3) evolution towards a simplified, open-sourced data processing/visualization software package to overlay EDS/EBSD data. Overall, the potential for FIB tomography to enhance our understanding of nuclear materials degradation mechanisms, particularly for irradiation and corrosion, would be a valuable asset to invest in for our academic and industry users in the Nuclear Science User Facilities Program.
2025-04-09 09:00:00
