Mapping strain and structural heterogeneities around bubbles in amorphous ionically conductive Bi2O3
While amorphous materials are often approximated to have a statistically homogeneous atomic structure, they frequently exhibit localized structural heterogeneity that challenges simplified models. This study uses 4D scanning transmission electron microscopy to investigate the strain and structural m...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2025-08-01
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| Series: | Materials & Design |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0264127525007026 |
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| author | Ellis Rae Kennedy Stephanie M. Ribet Ian S. Winter Caitlin A. Kohnert Yongqiang Wang Karen C. Bustillo Colin Ophus Benjamin K. Derby |
| author_facet | Ellis Rae Kennedy Stephanie M. Ribet Ian S. Winter Caitlin A. Kohnert Yongqiang Wang Karen C. Bustillo Colin Ophus Benjamin K. Derby |
| author_sort | Ellis Rae Kennedy |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | While amorphous materials are often approximated to have a statistically homogeneous atomic structure, they frequently exhibit localized structural heterogeneity that challenges simplified models. This study uses 4D scanning transmission electron microscopy to investigate the strain and structural modifications around gas bubbles in amorphous Bi2O3 induced by argon irradiation. We present a method for determining strain fields surrounding bubbles that can be used to measure the internal pressure of the gas. Compressive strain is observed around the cavities, with higher-order crystalline symmetries emerging near the cavity interfaces, suggesting paracrystalline ordering as a result of bubble coarsening. This ordering, along with a compressive strain gradient, indicates that gas bubbles induce significant localized changes in atomic packing. By analyzing strain fields with maximum compressive strains of 3%, we estimate a lower bound on the internal pressure of the bubbles at 2.5 GPa. These findings provide insight into the complex structural behavior of amorphous materials under stress, particularly in systems with gas inclusions, and offer new methods for probing the local atomic structure in disordered materials. Although considering structural heterogeneity in amorphous systems is non-trivial, these features have crucial impacts on material functionalities, such as mechanical strength, ionic conductivity, and electronic mobility. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-603c3baee96d42ebbcb4e2f7598ab91c |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 0264-1275 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-08-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Materials & Design |
| spelling | doaj-art-603c3baee96d42ebbcb4e2f7598ab91c2025-08-20T03:27:02ZengElsevierMaterials & Design0264-12752025-08-0125611428210.1016/j.matdes.2025.114282Mapping strain and structural heterogeneities around bubbles in amorphous ionically conductive Bi2O3Ellis Rae Kennedy0Stephanie M. Ribet1Ian S. Winter2Caitlin A. Kohnert3Yongqiang Wang4Karen C. Bustillo5Colin Ophus6Benjamin K. Derby7Materials Physics and Applications Division, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM, USA; Corresponding author.National Center for Electron Microscopy, Molecular Foundry, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, USASandia National Laboratories, Livermore, CA, USAMaterials Science and Technology Division, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM, USAMaterials Science and Technology Division, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM, USANational Center for Electron Microscopy, Molecular Foundry, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, USADepartment of Materials Science and Engineering, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA, USAMaterials Physics and Applications Division, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM, USAWhile amorphous materials are often approximated to have a statistically homogeneous atomic structure, they frequently exhibit localized structural heterogeneity that challenges simplified models. This study uses 4D scanning transmission electron microscopy to investigate the strain and structural modifications around gas bubbles in amorphous Bi2O3 induced by argon irradiation. We present a method for determining strain fields surrounding bubbles that can be used to measure the internal pressure of the gas. Compressive strain is observed around the cavities, with higher-order crystalline symmetries emerging near the cavity interfaces, suggesting paracrystalline ordering as a result of bubble coarsening. This ordering, along with a compressive strain gradient, indicates that gas bubbles induce significant localized changes in atomic packing. By analyzing strain fields with maximum compressive strains of 3%, we estimate a lower bound on the internal pressure of the bubbles at 2.5 GPa. These findings provide insight into the complex structural behavior of amorphous materials under stress, particularly in systems with gas inclusions, and offer new methods for probing the local atomic structure in disordered materials. Although considering structural heterogeneity in amorphous systems is non-trivial, these features have crucial impacts on material functionalities, such as mechanical strength, ionic conductivity, and electronic mobility.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0264127525007026 |
| spellingShingle | Ellis Rae Kennedy Stephanie M. Ribet Ian S. Winter Caitlin A. Kohnert Yongqiang Wang Karen C. Bustillo Colin Ophus Benjamin K. Derby Mapping strain and structural heterogeneities around bubbles in amorphous ionically conductive Bi2O3 Materials & Design |
| title | Mapping strain and structural heterogeneities around bubbles in amorphous ionically conductive Bi2O3 |
| title_full | Mapping strain and structural heterogeneities around bubbles in amorphous ionically conductive Bi2O3 |
| title_fullStr | Mapping strain and structural heterogeneities around bubbles in amorphous ionically conductive Bi2O3 |
| title_full_unstemmed | Mapping strain and structural heterogeneities around bubbles in amorphous ionically conductive Bi2O3 |
| title_short | Mapping strain and structural heterogeneities around bubbles in amorphous ionically conductive Bi2O3 |
| title_sort | mapping strain and structural heterogeneities around bubbles in amorphous ionically conductive bi2o3 |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0264127525007026 |
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