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 Y2.16Si1.76O7 and Y2.15Ti1.95O7 were further confirmed by O K, Si L2,3 and Ti L2,3 edges, respectively. The bulk modulus of Y2.16Si1.76O7 was shown to be lower than that of Y2.15Ti1.95O7, which implies that the nanosized Y2.16Si1.76O7 particles would provide more effective dislocation pinning at elevated temperatures.