Measuring electrostatic potential profiles across amorphous intergranular films by electron diffraction

Amorphous 1-2-nm-wide intergranular Films in ceramics dictate many of
their properties. The detailed investigation of structure and chemistry
of these films pushes the limits of today's transmission electron
microscopy. We report on the reconstruction of the one-dimensional
potential profile across the film from an experimentally acquired tilt
series of energy-filtered electron diffraction patterns. Along with the
potential profile, the specimen thickness, film orientation with
respect to the grain lattice and specimen surface, and the absolute
specimen orientation with respect to the laboratory frame of reference
are retrieved.