S. M. Neumayer, E. Fisslthaler, S. Feistritzer, W. Grogger
August 12, 2013
Abstract
Sintered hard metals like tungsten carbide compounds are a challenge for TEM sample preparation due to the diverging properties of the individual components. Especially when both very thin as well as large areas are required, for example for nanoanalysis investigations, conventional preparation techniques like ion milling and FIB preparation are often incapable of delivering samples of necessary quality. In this study, the preparation of a hard metal consisting of a tungsten carbide/cobalt compound via a technique called “Wedge Polishing” is described, along with the results of concomitant TEM investigations. The impact of the preparation procedure on the crystallographic structure of the material is discussed, and a post-treatment process to dispose of these artefacts is presented.