Related papers: Topological grain boundary segregation transitions
A systematics of grain boundary (GB) segregation transitions and critical phenomena has been derived to expand the classical GB segregation theory. Using twist GBs as an example, this study uncovers when GB layering vs. prewetting…
Alloying a material and hence segregating solutes to grain boundaries is one way to tailor a material to the demands of its application. Direct observation of solute segregation is necessary to understand how the interfacial properties are…
Segregation of impurities to grain boundaries plays an important role in both the stability and macroscopic behavior of polycrystalline materials. The research objective in this work is to better characterize the energetics and length…
Based on ab-initio simulations, we report on the nature of principally different mechanisms for interaction of Mg and Zn atoms with grain boundaries in Al alloys leading to different morphology of segregation. The Mg atoms segregate in…
This paper studies how solute segregation and its relationship to grain boundary energy in binary alloys is captured in the phase field crystal (PFC) formalism, a continuum method that incorporates atomic scale elasto-plastic effects on…
Grain boundaries often exhibit ordered atomic structures. Increasing amounts of evidence have been provided by transmission electron microscopy and atomistic computer simulations that different stable and metastable grain boundary…
We consider the stability of precipitates formed at grain boundaries (GBs) by radiation-induced segregation in dilute alloys subjected to irradiation. The effects of grain size and misorientation of symmetric-tilt GBs are quantified using…
We report new ground-state structures and phase transitions in $\Sigma$5[001] tilt grain boundaries (GBs) in body-centered cubic (BCC) refractory metals Nb, Ta, Mo, and W. $\Sigma$5 tilt GBs have been extensively investigated over the past…
Multi-crystalline silicon is widely used for producing low-cost and high-efficiency solar cells. During crystal growth and device fabrication, silicon solar cells contain grain boundaries (GBs) which are preferential segregation sites for…
Grain boundaries (GB) profoundly influence the electrical properties of polycrystalline ionic solids. Yet, precise control of their transport characteristics has remained elusive, thereby limiting the performance of solid-state…
We present the results of atomistic and ab initio simulation of several different tilt grain boundaries (GB) in silicon. The boundary structures obtained with genetic algorithm turned out to have no coordination defects, i.e. all silicon…
First-principles calculations were carried out to study the segregation behavior of Mg, and Cu and their effect on the energy and mechanical properties of different Al grain boundaries (GBs). Four symmetrical tilt GBs were selected for…
Grain boundary structural transitions can lead to significant changes in the properties and performance of materials. In multi-principal element alloys, understanding these transitions becomes complex due to phenomena such as local chemical…
This paper presents an overview of recent computer simulations of grain boundary (GB) diffusion focusing on atomistic understanding of diffusion mechanisms. At low temperatures when GB structure is ordered, diffusion is mediated by point…
The segregation of solute atoms to grain boundaries can have a large influence on the mechanical behavior of polycrystals, particularly in metallic alloys. An overview of 400 calculations of solute-induced changes in grain boundary cohesion…
Segregation to grain boundaries affects their cohesion, corrosion and embrittlement and plays a critical role in heterogeneous nucleation. In order to quantitatively study segregation and phase separation at grain boundaries, we derive a…
Grain boundaries (GBs) in complex oxides play critical roles in governing their functional properties, which are intrinsically linked to their three-dimensional (3D) atomic configurations and local chemical environments that can deviate…
A model based on the continuous atomic density function (ADF) approach is applied to predict the atomic structure of grain boundaries (GBs) in iron. Symmetrical [100] and [110] tilt GBs in bcc iron are modeled with the ADF method and…
Grain boundary embrittlement occurs when a solute enriches at a grain boundary and lowers its cohesive energy. While grain boundary enrichment is often attributed to equilibrium segregation effects, most models of embrittlement consider…
Tailoring the nanoscale distribution of chemical species at grain boundaries is a powerful method to dramatically influence the properties of polycrystalline materials. However, classical approaches to the problem have tacitly assumed that…