Electron Backscattering Diffraction and X-ray Diffraction studies of interface relationships in Sr3Ru2O7/Sr2RuO4 eutectic crystals

Sr3Ru2O7/Sr2RuO4 eutectic system is investigated by electron backscattering diffraction (EBSD) and Xray diffraction (XRD). The eutectic growth enables the solidification of the two phases in an ordered lamellar pattern extending along the growth direction, namely the b-axis direction. The eutectic material thus provides in the a-c plane two distinct interfaces having different microstructures with respect to the growth direction. Our analysis shows that, across the inplane c-axis direction (characterized by a poor lattice matching), the b-axis orientation is not constant at the individual interfaces, showing an orientation spread of about 5o. However, across the in-plane a-axis direction (characterized by a good lattice matching), the b-axis orientation does not change within a few tenths of degree (about 0.25o). Such information at nanoscale is also verified on a macroscopic level by standard XRD investigation.