Atomistic Insight into Grain Boundary Deformation Induced Strengthening in Layer-Grained Nanocrystalline Al

The brittle nature of nanocrystalline metals presents a significant challenge to their widespread application. Extensive efforts have been undertaken to develop materials with high strength and good ductility. In this study, we have discovered a new type of nanocrystalline metal, namely, layer-grained Al, which exhibits both high strength and good ductility owing to its enhanced strain hardening ability as revealed by molecular dynamics simulation. Notably, the layer-grained model displays strain hardening instead of the equiaxed model. The observed strain hardening is attributed to grain boundary deformation, which has previously been associated with strain softening. The simulation findings offer novel insights into the synthesis of nanocrystalline materials possessing high strength and good ductility, thus expanding the potential applications of these materials.