Nanoscale Investigation of Local Thermal Expansion at SrTiO3 Grain Boundaries by Electron Energy Loss Spectroscopy

The presence of grain boundaries (GBs) has a great impact on the coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) of polycrystals. However, direct measurement of local expansion of GBs remains challenging for conventional methods due to the lack of spatial resolution. In this work, we utilized the valence electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS) in a scanning transmission electron microscope (STEM) to directly measure the CTE of Sigma 5 and 45 degrees GBs of SrTiO3 at a temperature range between 373 and 973 K. A CTE that was about 3 times larger was observed in S5 GB along the direction normal to GB plane, while only a 1.4 time enhancement was found in the 45 degrees GB. Our result provides direct evidence that GBs contribute to the enhancement of CTE in polycrystals. Also, this work has revealed how thermodynamic properties are varied in different GB structures and demonstrated the potential of EELS for probing local thermal properties with nanometer-scale resolution.