The grain size statistics, commonly derived from the grain map of a material sample, are important microstructure characteristics that greatly influence its properties. The grain map for nanomaterials is usually obtained manually by visual inspection of the transmission electron microscope (TEM) micrographs because automated methods do not perform satisfactorily. While the visual inspection method provides reliable results, it is a labor intensive process and is often prone to human errors. In this article, an automated grain mapping method is developed using TEM diffraction patterns. The presented method uses wide angle convergent beam diffraction in the TEM. The automated technique was applied on a platinum thin film sample to obtain the grain map and subsequently derive grain size statistics from it. The grain size statistics obtained with the automated method were found in good agreement with the visual inspection method.

Three-dimensional x-ray diffraction (3DXRD) microscopy is a tool for fast and nondestructive characterization of the individual grains, subgrains, and domains inside bulk materials. The method is based on diffraction with very penetrating hard x-rays (E ≥ 50 keV), enabling 3D studies of millimeter-to-centimeter-thick specimens.The position, volume, orientation, and elastic and plastic strain can be derived for hundreds of grains simultaneously. Furthermore, by applying novel reconstruction methods, 3D maps of the grain boundaries can be generated. The 3DXRD microscope in use at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility in Grenoble, France, has a spatial resolution of ∼5 μm and can detect grains as small as 150 nm. The technique enables, for the first time, dynamic studies of the individual grains within polycrystalline materials. In this article, some fundamental materials science applications of 3DXRD are reviewed: studies of nucleation and growth kinetics during recrystallization, recovery, and phase transformations, as well as studies of polycrystal deformation.