On the structure of grain/interphase boundaries and interfaces

Grain/interphase boundaries/interfaces of varying misorientations, free volume fractions, curvatures and irregularities are present in materials, both 3D and 2D, regardless of whether these materials are crystalline or amorphous/glassy. Therefore, a question arises about the central idea on which a general description of grain/interphase boundaries/interfaces can and should be based. It is suggested that a generalized model of a structural/basic unit (crystalline, non-crystalline or of any scale), which depends on the interatomic (including electronic) interactions, the spatial distribution of the atoms and electrons, the number of atoms and free volume fraction present in the structural/basic unit and the experimental conditions should serve the purpose. As the development of a quantitative model, which reflects the effects of all these variables is difficult, slightly defective material boundaries are often modeled by treating the entire boundary as planar and by using the concepts of crystallography. For highly disordered boundaries, a description in terms of a representative volume, made up of a non-crystalline basic unit or a combination of such units, which depend on interatomic (including electronic) interactions and forces, is advocated. The size, shape, free volume fraction and number of atoms in the representative volume could differ with material composition and experimental conditions. In the latter approach, it is assumed that all processes connected to a problem on hand is contained within this representative volume. The unresolved issues are identified.