Multiple origins of extra electron diffractions in fcc metals

Authors: Flynn Walsh, Mingwei Zhang, Robert O. Ritchie, Mark Asta, Andrew M. Minor

Published: 2024-08-02

DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adn9673

Source: Full article


Abstract

Diffuse intensities in the electron diffraction patterns of concentrated face-centered cubic solid solutions have been widely attributed to chemical short-range order, although this connection has been recently questioned. This article explores the many nonordering origins of commonly reported features using a combination of experimental electron microscopy and multislice diffraction simulations, which suggest that diffuse intensities largely represent thermal and static displacement scattering. A number of observations may reflect additional contributions from planar defects, surface terminations incommensurate with bulk periodicity, or weaker dynamical effects.