Structure and elastic property of nanosized complex oxide particles in ferritic/martensitic alloy: An electron energy-loss spectroscopy study

The structure and elastic property of nanosized complex oxide particles in a ferritic/martensitic alloy containing titanium and silicon were studied by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and electron energy-loss spectroscopy (EELS). The nanosized complex Y-Si-O particles were found in the matrix of the alloy in addition to Y-Ti-O, and the size of Y-Si-O is smaller than that of Y-Ti-O particles. The formation of Y(2.16)Si(1.76)O(7) and Y(2.15)Ti(1.95)O(7) were further confirmed by O K, Si L(2.3) and Ti L(2.3) edges, respectively. The bulk modulus of Y(2.16)Si(1.76)O(7) was shown to be lower than that of Y(2.15)Ti(1.95)O(7), which implies that the nanosized Y(2.16)Si(1.76)O(7) particles would provide more effective dislocation pinning at elevated temperatures. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.