Scanning Electron Images and Energy Dispersive X-Ray Analysis of Ni-Mn-Cu-Ga Heusler alloys

INSTRUMENT INFO:FE-SEM, Zeiss Auriga Compact by Carl Zeissequipped with an energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) system: Oxford Xplore 30 by Oxford Instruments ANALYSIS INFO:standardless EDX analysis, using a 20 kV accelerated primary electron beam focused on flat polished sample surfaces. The folder contains *images ".tif"*high resolution SEM images of samples, magnification: 1k.The zebra pattern on the surface of samples are a typical feature of the martensitic phase. The black and white stripes are not due to chemical inhomogeneity (see EDX maps), but rather to how the microstructural features reflect the electron beam. * EDX maps of samples ".docx"*Each file is named after the nominal sample composition that it contains the data of, e.g. Cu6.25 = Ni50Mn18.75Cu6.25Ga25.EDX maps clearly show chemical homogeneity of all samples. The reported EDX compositions indicate Ni, Mn, Cu, Ga, and carbon (C) content. Carbon comes from impurities on the surface due to sample manipulation and polishing. C content must be deconvoluted to obtain the Ni-Mn-Cu-Ga content in that specific sample site. The sample chemical compositions can be obtained by averaging the data from the different sites.