Fig. 3: Al inclusions in SmB6.
From: Informing quantum materials discovery and synthesis using X-ray micro-computed tomography
a A comparison of the attenuation coefficients of Al and SmB6 as a function of X-ray energy in the operating range of the instrument, demonstrating the feasibility of contrasting the two components using µCT. The K-edge for Sm lies at 46.83 keV, resulting in the dip of attenuation. b Visualizations of the crystal structure of SmB6 and Al, demonstrating that given the similar lattice parameter, both systems mutually support the growth of one another. c A 3D rendering of a crystal of SmB6 showing the presence of Al inclusions (colored yellow) that are epitaxially oriented. d A rendering of a different crystal of SmB6 with Al inclusions showing up as epitaxially oriented layered sheets. e A 3D rose diagram generated from the star volume distribution (SVD) of the inclusions of (c). The data are oriented along the length of the crystal, showing a preferred growth direction following the crystal habit. The image is colored according to distance from origin. f A 3D rose diagram generated from the SVD of the inclusions of (d), showing the impact the opposing layers have on the overall anisotropy. The image is colored according to the distance from the origin.
