物质科学家美国陆军研究实验室(ARL)在马里兰州的阿伯丁证明地面上，使用3D成像原子探针技术在原子水平分析金属和陶瓷标本。该分析旨在评估effectiveness of materials used for body armor on future army soldiers.
The work includes studying metal alloys that have undergone processing with additive manufacturing.
In collaboration with利哈伊大学in Pennsylvania, theUniversity of Alabama, and德克萨斯农工大学, the army scientists also hope to develop stronger, more heat-resistant materials for future soldiers.
“When you see things no other human has ever seen before, it’s very cool to think that I’m helping to push the envelope of new modern materials science, which then obviously is used for the Army,” said乍得·霍恩巴克（Chad Hornbuckle）博士, Materials Scientist at ARL’s Weapons and Materials Research Directorate。
“每次我们运行新材料时，我们都会考虑如何帮助士兵进行这一新发现。”
The Cameca 3D atom probe
样本metal and ceramic a thousand times smaller than the end of a strand of human hair are placed within aCameca 3D Atom Probeto better understand its material structure during chemical experimentation. The samples are prepared for analysis by creating sharp tips through喷砂， 或者CNC铣削。Then, the chemical element gallium – a metal alloy that remains liquid at room temperature – is applied to the samples using a dual beam scanning electron microscope. Following this, the samples are carefully inserted into the atom probe.
“The atom probe gives us a 3D reconstruction at the atomic level,” explained Dr. Hornbuckle, who specializes in microstructural characterization using electron microscopes and atom probe tomography (APT). “When you see the reconstruction that’s made up of millions of dots, the dots are actually individual atoms.”
在原子探针内的超冷真空中，激光使小尖端上的原子电离引起单个离子引起场蒸发 - 电场产生的突出表面原子的蒸发。
使用3D模型在几乎原子的空间分辨率下对蒸发离子进行分析和鉴定，该模型使科学家能够准确地破译不同类型的原子及其在材料中的位置。
先进的物质研究
丹尼斯殷博士实验室的博士后研究员nd graduate of Lehigh University used the 3D atom probe during electrodeposition – a process that creates thin metal coatings. “We were electrodepositing copper in a magnetic field and we found a chemical phase using the atom probe that didn’t otherwise show up in conventional electrodeposition.
此外，由于原子探针和经验丰富的物质科学家的数量有限，大学还将带来自己的样本进行分析。Hornbuckle博士补充说：
“I have analyzed a few nickel-titanium alloys that had been 3D printed. They noticed some nanoscale precipitates within the 3D printed materials but were unable to identify them with their TEM [Transmission electron microscopy]. I am trying to determine the chemistry of the phase using the atom probe, which should help to identify it.”
这些合作伙伴关系将使陆军和大学实验室设备相互访问。通过这项研究获得的知识也将应用于当前的军队问题以及未来军事装甲材料的发展。
ARL researchers previously discovered that a novel aluminum alloy reacts with water to produce hydrogen, which led to the creation of3D printed rocket fuel。
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Featured image shows full 3D material tip imaging in atom probe tomography (APT). Image via ARL.
