Page 291 - Read Online

Page 8 of 23 Zhou et al. Microstructures 2023;3:2023043 https://dx.doi.org/10.20517/microstructures.2023.38

Figure 4. Micrographs from the cryogenic FIB lift-out process of a buried frozen water/solid interface: (A1) ROI trenching, (A2 and A3)
lift-out, (A4) placing the lift-out bar on a silicon (Si) micropost, (A5) nano-welds by the re-deposition of the milled debris, (A6)
detachment of the lift-out bar, and (A7) high-resolution image the cryo-specimen before annular milling. (B1) APT tip containing the
interface of frozen water and corroded glass after annular milling, and (B2) the high-resolution image of (B1). Reproduced with the
permission of Ref. [39] Copyright 2023, Elsevier.

RESEARCH ENABLED BY CRYO-APT
The advancements in cryo-transfer and cryo-specimen fabrication have resulted in groundbreaking
scientific discoveries across various research fields. This section aims to showcase the successes achieved
through the application of cryo-techniques, which have extended the utility of APT beyond its conventional
areas of use.

Hydrogen in metals and alloys
Hydrogen can cause a reduction in the strength and ductility of metals and alloys, a phenomenon known as
hydrogen embrittlement [64,65] . Understanding the location of hydrogen atoms in materials is crucial as it
allows for correlations with microstructural sites that may be susceptible to hydrogen-induced cracks or
capable of trapping detrimental hydrogen solutes, preventing them from participating in the embrittling
process. This knowledge has given rise to a material design concept for hydrogen-embrittlement-resistant
alloys, where hydrogen "traps" are introduced to create safe sites that can accommodate hydrogen solutes in