Preface to the Special Issue on Advanced Microstructural Characterization of Materials

Microstructural characterization is a vital part in materials science, as it plays a key role in understanding the structure-property relationship in materials. Various advanced microstructural characterization techniques have emerged, for example, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, scanning transmission electron microscopy, high resolution (scanning) transmission electron microscopy, electron backscatter diffraction, energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy, electron energy loss spectroscopy, precession electron diffraction, energy-filtered transmission electron microscopy, and atom probe tomography. The applications of these techniques have greatly advanced the understanding of material microstructures on different scales from micrometer to atomic scale. Advanced microstructural characterization can be applied to a variety of materials such as metals, alloys, ceramics, polymers and composites