Atom Probe Microscopy and Materials Science

Abstract

Materials science is an interdisciplinary field devoted to understanding the fundamental origins of materials’ properties to develop and sustain materials technology and engineering. Atom probe microscopy enables the characterisation of many important microstructural features that occur across various length scales in materials. This microscopy can enable new insights into the scientific and engineering aspects of how materials actually work. APM techniques enable the characterisation of the structure and the chemistry of materials, and this is of great significance because both are vital in formulating relationships between microstructure and properties. This short chapter explains how the different methods described previously can be applied to obtain information relevant to the materials scientist.