Identifying Defects in Microscopy Data

Trinity undergraduate Jacques Cloete has published a paper showing a new way of identifying and classifying defects in microscopy data.

The method outlined in his paper, published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society A, is particularly applicable to high-strength materials and understanding how defects form, under what conditions they develop, and how these change the behaviour of the materials. Understanding this process is particularly important in industries such as power generation and storage, transport, and aerospace, which rely on the integrity of materials under pressure. The paper is the result of a research project undertaken with supervision by Trinity Engineering Lecturer Felix Hofmann and Edmund Tarleton of the Materials Science Department at Oxford.

The paper looks at crystal lattice defects and the role they play in controlling the properties of high-performance materials such as alloys used in the aerospace, nuclear and automotive industries. Dislocation is a common defect that affects material performance; the paper presents an analysis of the structure and properties of dislocations by looking at Burgers vectors – a way of representing lattice distortions.

Jacques Cloete says: ‘A key challenge when characterising dislocations is the accurate determination of Burgers vectors, which are vectors that represent the lattice distortion that they cause. This paper presents a general and robust framework for the computation of Burgers vectors from elastic strain and lattice rotation data as well as implementation into a computer program to automate the process. This has been a challenging and insightful project, providing me with invaluable experience towards a future career in research. It is exciting to see all the hard work pay off with a published paper, especially as an undergrad student!’