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Direct imaging of atomistic grain boundary migration.
Jiake Wei1,2, Bin Feng3, Ryo Ishikawa1,4
1Institute of Engineering Innovation, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.
Nature Materials
|January 12, 2021
Summary
Grain boundary migration in alumina was visualized at the atomic scale. Atoms shuffle along ledges, transitioning between low-energy structures to facilitate this crucial process in materials science.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Solid State Physics
- Crystallography
Background:
- Grain boundary (GB) migration is fundamental to microstructural evolution and property modification in polycrystalline materials.
- The atomistic mechanisms governing GB migration are critical but experimentally challenging to elucidate at the atomic scale.
Purpose of the Study:
- To experimentally visualize and understand the atomistic process of grain boundary migration at the atomic scale.
- To investigate the role of atomic shuffling and intermediate structures in GB migration.
Main Methods:
- Utilizing atomic-resolution scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) with high-energy electron-beam irradiation.
- Controllably triggering GB migration in alpha-alumina (α-Al2O3) specimens.
- Directly observing GB migration in situ at the atomic level, akin to stop-motion animation.
Main Results:
- Direct visualization of atomistic GB migration as a stop-motion process.
- GB migration proceeds via cooperative shuffling of atoms on GB ledges along defined pathways.
- Migration involves transitions through multiple stable and metastable low-energy GB structures.
Conclusions:
- GB migration is an atomistic process driven by atomic shuffling and facilitated by transformations between low-energy GB structures.
- This study provides direct experimental evidence for atomistic GB migration mechanisms.
- Understanding these mechanisms is key for controlling material properties through microstructure engineering.
