Quantification by aberration corrected (S)TEM of boundaries formed by symmetry breaking phase transformations

The present contribution gives a review of recent quantification work of atom displacements, atom site occupations and level of crystallinity in various systems and based on aberration corrected HR(S)TEM images. Depending on the case studied, picometer range precisions for individual distances can be obtained, boundary widths at the unit cell level determined or statistical evolutions of fractions of the ordered areas calculated. In all of these cases, these quantitative measures imply new routes for the applications of the respective materials. •Quantification of picometer displacements at ferroelastic twin boundary in CaTiO3.•Quantification of kinks in meandering ferroelectric domain wall in LiNbO3.•Quantification of column occupation in anti-phase boundary in Co-Pt.•Quantification of atom displacements at twin boundary in Ni-Ti B19′ martensite.