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Abstract:
In situ heating transmission electron microscopy (TEM) was used to investigate the initial stage of g-TiAl lamellae formation in an intermetallic Ti–45Al–7.5Nb alloy (in at.%). The material was heat treated and quenched in a non-equilibrium state to consist mainly of supersaturated, ordered α2-Ti3Al grains. Subsequently, specimens were annealed inside a TEM up to 750 °C. The in situ TEM study revealed that ultra-fine γ-TiAl laths precipitate in the α2-matrix at 730 °C which exhibit the classical Blackburn orientation relationship, i.e. (0001) α2//(111)g and [1120]a2//<110]g. The microstructural development observed in the in situ TEM experiment is compared to results from conventional ex situ TEM studies. In order to investigate the precipitation behavior of the γ-phase with a complementary method, in situ high energy X-ray diffraction experiments were performed which confirmed the finding that γ-laths start to precipitate at 730 °C from the supersaturated α2-matrix.