The study of grain boundary thickness using electron diffraction techniques

An electron diffraction technique has been developed to study the thickness of grain boundaries in polycrystalline specimens. Grain boundaries with a periodic structure in Al2O3, Cu-Bi and Au, were examined in an edge-on orientation using electron microscopy and diffraction. Each boundary gave rise to streaks in the diffraction pattern, the length of which was inversely related to the thickness of the boundary. For each boundary studied the magnitude of the boundary thickness was similar to the periodicity of the boundary, as determined from the image and the diffraction pattern.