Quantitative Characterization by Transmission Electron Microscopy and Its Application to Interfacial Phenomena in Crystalline Materials

This paper reviews quantitative characterization via transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and its application to interfacial phenomena based on the results obtained through the studies. Several signals generated by the interaction between the specimen and the electron beam with a probe size of less than 1 nm are utilized for a quantitative analysis, which yields considerable chemical and physical information. This review describes several phenomena near the interfaces, e.g., clear solid–vapor interface (surface) segregation of yttria in the zirconia nanoparticles by an energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy analysis, the evaluation of the local magnetic moment at the grain boundary in terms of electron energy loss spectroscopy equipped with TEM, and grain boundary character dependence of the magnetism. The direct measurement of the stress to the dislocation transferred across the grain boundary and the microstructure evolution focused on the grain boundary formation caused by plastic deformation are discussed as examples of material dynamics associated with the grain boundary. Finally, the outlook for future investigations of interface studies, including the recent progress, is also discussed.