Misorientation Dependence of Energies of Si(001) Twist Grain Boundaries

The energies of Si(001) twist boundaries have been measured relative to Si(solid)-Sn(liquid) interfacial energies by a dihedral angle method at 1473 K. Shallow and wide width energy cusps were found at non-coincidence site lattice (csl)-misorientations, in addition to shallow and narrow width energy cusps at csl-misorientations with low . These wide width cusps existed at misorientations dividing, into 1:1 or 1:2, misorientation differences between two csl-misorientations. The energy of the general boundaries discontinuously varied with misorientations across the wide cusps. These misorientations divided the whole misorientation region with respect to energies.     

剪切作用下Cu(100)扭转晶界塑性行为研究

本文采用分子动力学方法研究了在剪切载荷作用下,Cu(100)扭转晶界对Cu柱屈服强度的影响.模拟结果发现,在加载过程中,低角度扭转晶界形成的位错网发生位错形核与扩展,位错之间的塞积作用提高了Cu柱的屈服强度;对于高角度扭转晶界,晶界发生滑动降低了Cu柱的屈服强度.同时发现,随着扭转角度的增加,Cu柱的屈服强度先增大,当扭转角度大于临界角度时,Cu柱的屈服应力逐渐减小.这表明剪切载荷作用下,两种不同的机理主导Cu柱的屈服,对于小于临界角度的扭转晶界,Cu柱的屈服由晶界位错形核和扩展机理主导,对于大于临界角度 关键词： 扭转晶界 分子动力学 位错形核 晶界滑移     

Electronic Structure of a Bi-Doped Σ = 13 Tilt Grain Boundary in ZnO

We have investigated Bi doping in the bulk and in a = 13 tilt grain boundary in ZnO using ab-initio DFT-calculations. We obtain a negative segregation energy suggesting that bismuth accumulates in the grain boundary. The Bi-atom causes considerable atomic displacements in the grain boundary increasing the local Bi–O bond length and attracting an O-atom on the opposite side of the structural unit in the grain boundary. The results suggest the formation of a Bi–rich phase in the grain boundary. The Bi-atoms act as donors and the conduction electrons are quasi-localised in the grain boundary region.     

Ab initio study of the effects of helium on the mechanical properties of different erbium hydrides

Although rare-earth metals have increasingly received attention for use in the storage and transportation of the tritium used in nuclear fusion reactions, they still face great challenges, such as the effect of helium on the mechanical properties of different erbium hydrides. In this work, first principles are used to study the mechanical properties(elastic constants, Young's modulus, transverse shear modulus and bulk modulus) of different erbium hydrides exposed to helium. The Young's modulus, the transverse shear modulus and the bulk modulus are given based on the elastic constants calculated according to first principles. It is found that the mechanical properties of all three erbium hydrides decrease in the presence of helium, and the decline of the mechanical properties of ErH_3 is the most serious. To explain the reason for the decrease in the mechanical properties, the densities of the states of erbium hydrides are calculated. During the calculations, helium embrittlement is not found and the ductility of the erbium hydrides improves following the production of helium at the helium concentrations considered in this work.     

Interfacial segregation in Ag-Au,Au-Pd,and Cu-Ni alloys: II. [001] Σ5 twist grain boundaries

Atomistic simulations of segregation to [001] 5 twist boundaries in Cu–Ni, Au–Pd, and Ag–Au alloy systems have been performed for a wide range of temperatures and compositions within the solid solution region of these alloy phase diagrams. In addition to the grain boundary segregation profiles, grain boundary free energies, enthalpies, and entropies were determined. These simulations were performed within the framework of the free energy simulation method, in which an approximate free energy functional is minimized with respect to atomic coordinates and atomic site occupation. For all alloy bulk compositions (0.05 C 0.95) and temperatures (400 T (K) 1,100) examined, Cu and Au segregates to the boundary in the Cu–Ni and Au–Pd alloy systems, respectively; although in the Ag–Au alloys, the majority element segregates to the boundary. The width of the segregation profile is limited to approximately three to four (002) atomic planes. The classical theories for the segregation, and the effects of the relaxation with respect to either the atomic positions or the atomic concentrations, are discussed. The boundary thermodynamic properties depend sensitively on the magnitude of the boundary segregation, and some of them are shown to vary linearly with the magnitude of the grain boundary segregation.     

六角相ErAx (A=H,He)体系弹性性质的第一性原理研究

本文采用第一性原理研究了六角相ErA_x (A=H, He)的弹性性质, 其中x=0, 0.0313, 0.125, 0.25, 分别讨论了体系中不同浓度的氢和氦对体系弹性性质的影响. 计算结果表明, 六角相铒-氢体系晶体的弹性常数、体弹模量、剪切模量、杨氏模量基本上随着晶体中氢的浓度增加而增加, 然而, 铒-氦体系的弹性常数、体弹模量、剪切模量和杨氏模量几乎随着氦浓度的增加而降低. 从电荷转移方面分析了氢和氦与Er的相互作用, 发现六角相ErH_x的弹性性质随H浓度的变化机理与ErHe_x随He浓度的变化机理不同. 关键词： 第一性原理 弹性性质 x')" href="#">六角相ErH_x x')" href="#">六角相ErHe_x     

Wetting transition on grain boundaries in Al contacting with a Sn-rich melt

The contact angle at the intersection of a grain boundary in Al bicrystals with the solid Al/liquid Al–Sn interphase boundary has been measured for two symmetric tilt <011> {001} grain boundaries with tilt angles of 32° and 38.5°. The temperature dependencies (T) present the evidence of the grain boundary wetting phase transition at T_w. The observed hysteresis is consistent with the assumption that the wetting transition is of first order. The determined discontinuity in the temperature derivative of the grain boundary energy is–5.6 J/m²K (T w1=617°C) for the boundary with a low energy (=38.5°) and –17 J/m²K (T w2=604°C) for the grain boundary with a high energy (=32°).     

Grain Boundaries in Barium Strontium Titanate Thin Films: Structure, Chemistry and Influence on Electronic Properties

In this paper, we investigate the role of grain boundaries in polycrystalline (Ba _x Sr_1–x )Ti_1+y O_3+z films, grown by metal organic vapor deposition, in the accommodation of nonstoichiometry, as well as their role in the strong composition dependence of the electric and dielectric behavior observed in these films. High-spatial resolution electron energy-loss spectroscopy is used for the analysis of composition and structural changes at grain boundaries, as a function of film composition. The existence of amorphous, titanium rich, TiO₂-like phases at the grain boundaries of films with large amounts of excess Ti (y 0.08) may explain the non-monotonic resistance degradation behavior of the films as a function of Ti content. However, we show that a grain boundary phase model fails to explain the strong composition dependence of the dielectric behavior. Electron energy-loss spectra indicate a distortion of the Ti–O octahedra in the grain interiors in samples with increasing Ti excess. The decrease of the dielectric constant with increasing amounts of excess Ti is therefore more likely due to Ti accommodation in the grain interiors.     

Excess Volume of the Solid/Liquid Interface in Fe-6 at.%Si Bicrystals Wetted by Liquid Zinc

The pressure effect on grain boundary wetting in Fe-6 at.%Si bicrystals of different misorientation angles but constant misorientation axis has been studied. The wetting agent was liquid zinc. It was found that the pressure for the dewetting transition is higher for the near 5 boundary than for the other general boundaries, where is the inverse density of the coincidence sites in the two misoriented crystal lattices. This result was explained assuming a thinner liquid film wetting the near 5 boundary than in the case of nonperiodic grain boundaries. Furthermore, the wetting angle increased with increasing pressure. The wetting angle dependence on pressure could be understood assuming a excess surface volume of the solid/liquid (S/L) interface higher than 0.2 nm. This is considerably higher than the estimated excess volumes of grain boundaries based on computer simulations. To explain this result, it was postulated that in the system studied, where diffusion of Zn, Fe and Si perpendicular to the S/L interface takes place, the S/L interface is relatively thick and the interaction between the two crystals separated by the melt extends over more than 2 nm distance. This long-range interaction was rationalized in terms of clusters of several atoms, detaching from the solid and dissolving in the melt at some distance from the bulk.     

Temperature dependences of the flow and critical shear stresses of dispersion-hardening alloys

A study was made of the temperature dependences of the flow stress _0.1 (T) and of the critical shear stress _cr(T) of Cu-15% A1-(1–2)% Co, Cu-8% A1-(2–2.8)% Co, and Cu-4% A1–2% Co alloys containing noncoherent intermetallic particles. In the case of single crystals at temperatures 77–673° K there was a good agreement between the theoretically calculated values of the Orowan hardening and those found experimentally, so that the dependence _cr(T) was governed by the temperature dependence of the shear modulus G(T). For polycrystalline samples the usual dependence of the mechanical propertiesties on the grain size was not observed. At temperatures from 77 to 473–573°K the dependence _0.1 (T) was similar to the dependence G(T) and a good agreement was observed between the theoretically calculated dispersion hardening effects with those found experimentally. At temperatures T > 473–573°K the deformation was influenced greatly by grain-boundary glide, which enhanced the dependence _0.1 (T) compared with that expected theoretically.Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Fizika, No. 6, pp. 85–91, June, 1980.     

Pressure effect on grain boundary wetting at various temperatures

Bicrystals of Fe-6 at.% Si alloy containing <001> 5 tilt grain boundaries with a deposited zinc layer have been annealed at various hydrostatic pressure at four temperatures between 700° and 905°C. After the anneals the dihedral angle of the grain boundary groove formed at the site of the grain boundary intersection with the solid-melt interphase boundary has been measured. The transition from complete to incomplete wetting of the grain boundary by the zinc-rich melt (dewetting phase transition) has been found to occur as the pressure increased at all temperatures studied. The temperature dependence of the dewetting transition pressure p _w has been determined. That dependence has a minimum at a temperature of 790°C, which is close to the peritectic temperature in the Fe–Zn system (782°C). A thermodynamic analysis of the wetting phenomena in the two-component system, based on Becker's regular solution model for the surface tension of the interphase boundary, explains the minimum in the p _w (T) dependence.     

Microstructural evolution of ZnS during sintering monitored by optical and positron annihilation techniques

Positron lifetime and optical absorption techniques were employed to track the microstructural evolution of polycrystalline ZnS grown by Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD). As grown material and material treated with Hot Isostatic Pressure (HIP) was sintered at temperatures ranging from 400 to 1000°C for 2–18 h. A 290 ps defect lifetime could be resolved in all samples, while an additional longer lifetime (=430 ps) was found only in samples annealed at low temperatures. This component gradually disappeared during annealing at 800°C. Associated with the disappearance of the long-lived component, the apparent bulk lifetime of the material changed from 235 to 215 ps. A 215±2 ps bulk parameter was also found for HIP-treated material annealed at temperatures greater than 400°C and hence is taken to represent the delocalized state of the positrons in ZnS. Optical absorption measurements showed that annealing at 800°C also caused the absorption profiles of the CVD and HIP samples to converge. The rate of the bulk lifetime transition correlates with the absorption changes. The observed sharpening of the absorption profile is attributed to a decrease in scattering from grain boundaries and voids, and a decrease in absorption from point defects. The 430 ps lifetime is believed to be due to trapping at voids and grain boundaries, while the 290 ps lifetime likely is due to a monovacancy stabilized as a small complex.Paper presented at the 132nd WE-Heraeus-Seminr on Positron Studies of Semiconductor Defects, Halle, Germany, 29 August to 2 September 1994     

Volume and grain boundary diffusion of implanted 113Sn in aluminium

Volume and grain boundary diffusion of ¹¹³Sn in aluminium was investigated with the radiotracer method. The implantation technique was used for tracer deposition to avoid problems of tracer hold-up caused by the oxide layer always present on aluminium. The diffusion penetration was chosen large enough to permit serial sectioning of samples with the aid of a microtome.The temperature dependence of the volume diffusivity was determined as D(T)=4.54×10^–5×exp[–(114.5±1.2)kJmol^–1/RT] m ² s ^–1. This confirms previous measurements from our group which already showed that Sn is the fastest foreign metal diffusor so far investigated in aluminium.Grain boundary diffusion of ¹¹³Sn in Al polycrystals was measured in the type-B kinetic regime. The grain boundary diffusion product P=sD _gb (s=segregation factor, =grain boundary width, D _gb=grain boundary diffusivity) was found to be strongly affected by the impurity content of aluminium. For Al polycrystals of 99.9992% nominal purity we obtained P _5N(T)=1.08×10^–8exp [–(96.9±7.5) kJ mol^–1/RT] m³ s^–1 and for less pure Al polycrystals of 99.99% nominal purity P _4N(T)=3.0×10^–10 exp [–(90.1±4.2) kJ mol^–1/RT] m³ s^–1 was determined. The grain boundary diffusion product in the purer material is more than one order of magnitude higher than in the less pure material. Very likely this is an effect of co-segregation of non-diffusant impurities into the grain boundaries.     

Modification of Electrical Activity of Grain Boundaries in EFG Silicon Under Influence of Hydrogen Plasma

We investigated an influence of hydrogen plasma treatment on electrical properties of shaped silicon polycrystals. Hydrogen penetration into polycrystalline silicon is demonstrated to depend on the state of the crystal (as-grown or annealed) and type of grain boundary (general or weakly deviated from special orientations). It is found that interaction of atomic hydrogen with grain boundaries can result not only in decrease of their electrical activity, but also in increase of potential barrier height at relatively high (more than 2 × 10¹⁸ cm^–2) doses of incorporated hydrogen. This phenomenon is explained by a phenomenological model which takes into account passivation of grain boundary dangling bonds and boron atoms in the bulk as two main mechanisms controlling hydrogenation effect.     

Interdiffusion in two-layer Pd/Ag films III. TEM investigation of diffusion-induced grain boundary migration

Diffusion-induced grain boundary migration (DIGM) is studied by the transmission electron microscopy method in polycrystalline two-layer Pd/Ag thin films with a grain size (100–2000 nm). In addition to the typical features of DIGM known for coarse-grained bulk objects and foils, new features are found which are caused by a quite dense network of triple junctions and by misfit dislocations: fast increase of grain boundary curvature and inclination; back motion of grain boundaries owing to recrystallization forces and termination of DIGM. Homogenization resulted from diffusion-induced migration of misfit dislocations is observed in addition to DIGM.     

Segregation Effects at a High-Angle Twist Boundary in ZnO

Ab initio density functional plane-wave pseudopotential calculations were performed for a = 7 ( = 21.79°) [0001] twist boundary in ZnO with and without the presence of Sb impurities. The segregation energies revealed a significant driving force for segregation and it was shown that the formation of an Sb monolayer was favoured. Decreased coordination in the boundary core suggested a trend towards the formation of an intergranular phase. The impurity states caused by the monolayer were located within the band gap and higher in energy relative to the state produced by a single impurity. Charge transfer to the Sb monolayer was observed indicating a possible enhancement of the grain boundary potential barrier.     

Misorientation Dependence of the Grain Boundary Energy in Magnesia

Geometric and crystallographic data obtained from a well annealed magnesia polycrystal have been used to specify the five macroscopic degrees of freedom for 4665 grain boundaries. The results indicate, that for this sample, the five parameter grain boundary character space is fully occupied. A finite series of symmetrized spherical harmonics has been used to approximate the misorientation dependence of the relative grain boundary energy. Best fit coefficients for this series were determined by assuming that the interfacial tensions at each triple junction are balanced. The grain boundary energy function shows Read-Shockley behavior at small misorientations and a broad minimum near the 3 misorientation. Furthermore, misorientations about the ‹100› axis create boundaries with relative energies that are less than those created by misorientations about the ‹110› or ‹111› axes.     

First-principles study on electronic structure and elastic properties of Ti2SC

We have performed first-principles study on electronic structure and elastic properties of Ti₂SC. The absence of band gap at the Fermi level and the finite value of the density of states at the Fermi energy reveal the metallic behavior of this compound. The five independent elastic constants were derived and the bulk modulus, Young's modulus, shear modulus, and Poisson's ratio were determined. The high bulk modulus and hardness was found to be originated from the strong Ti 3d-S 2p hybridization. Such strong MA bonding is unusual in the MAX phases studied so far. Ti₂SC is elastically stable and exhibits highly elastic isotropy.     

Interdiffusion in two-layer Pd/Ag films II. “Cold” homogenization mechanisms

Interdiffusion processes in thin epitaxial polycrystalline Pd/Ag films in the temperature range 20–500°C are studied by transmission electron microscopy, electron diffraction and electrical resistance methods. Homogenization is investigated both during condensation and under conditions of postcondensation annealing.The basic processes of homogenization associated with GB diffusion along migrating boundaries. It is found that in real polycrystal films with wide spectrum of grain sizes few mechanisms can occur simultaneously or subsequently: recrystallization induced diffusion, diffusion induced grain boundary migration, activation of bulk diffusion in fine grain clusters, bulk diffusion through interphase boundary. The conditions for prevailing one of them can be provided by changing condensation and postcondensation annealing temperatures or by choosing certain grain size.