Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 11, 2026

Atom Probe Tomography Studies on the Cu(In,Ga)Se2 Grain Boundaries
Published on: April 22, 2013
Periodic segregation of solute atoms in fully coherent twin boundaries
1Department of Materials Engineering, Monash University, Victoria 3800, Australia.
Abstract:
The formability and mechanical properties of many engineering alloys are intimately related to the formation and growth of twins. Understanding the structure and chemistry of twin boundaries at the atomic scale is crucial if we are to properly tailor twins to achieve a new range of desired properties. We report an unusual phenomenon in magnesium alloys that until now was thought unlikely: the equilibrium segregation of solute atoms into patterns within fully coherent terraces of deformation twin boundaries. This ordered segregation provides a pinning effect for twin boundaries, leading to a concomitant but unusual situation in which annealing strengthens rather than weakens these alloys. The findings point to a platform for engineering nano-twinned structures through solute atoms. This may lead to new alloy compositions and thermomechanical processes.
Related Concept Videos
Molecular and Ionic Solids
Molecular Solids
Molecular crystalline solids, such as ice, sucrose (table sugar), and iodine, are solids that are composed of neutral molecules as their constituent units. These molecules are held together by weak intermolecular forces such as London dispersion forces, dipole-dipole interactions, or hydrogen bonds, which...
Solid–Solid Solutions
Imperfections in Crystal Structure: Stoichiometric Point Defects
The Pauli Exclusion Principle
Electrostatic Boundary Conditions in Dielectrics
Consider a case where both the mediums across a boundary are two different dielectric materials. Recall that the electric field and electric displacement are proportional and related through the material's permittivity.
Energy Bands in Solids
Band Formation:
When atoms are brought close together, as in a solid, these discrete energy levels begin to split due to the overlap of electron orbitals from adjacent atoms. This split occurs because of the Pauli exclusion principle, which states that no two...

