Diffusion-defining atomic-scale spinodal decomposition within nanoprecipitates

Stoichiometric precipitates owe their fixed composition to an ordered crystal structure. Deviations from that nominal value, however, are encountered at times. Here we investigate composition, structure and diffusion phenomena of ordered precipitates that form during heat treatment in an industrially cast Al-Mg-Sc-Zr alloy system. Experimental investigations based on aberration-corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy and analytical...