LAUSR

Processing of metals at cryogenic temperatures (~77 K) is a well-known process that may improve mechanical properties, as strength and/or ductility. This behavior is commonly associated to the partial suppression of dynamic recovery at very low temperatures and the accumulation of crystallographic defects along the microstructure due to plastic strain [1-3]. Several studies were performed to understand the mechanisms involved in the cryogenic deformation of metals and the obtaining of ultrafine-grained and nanostructured materials [4-6]. Nevertheless, the same studies were performed by analyzing these metals at room temperature instead of the same temperature of the deformation itself, which means that important information about the structure and substructures of defects was possibly lost due to the recovery and recrystallization of these metals. Thus, in this work, the authors propose a first approach on how to analyze cryogenically deformed metals in situ, i.e., at cryogenic temperature by scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM).