Grain-boundary diffusion of oxygen in polycrystalline ferrites

It is shown that layer-by-layer measurements of the electron-transfer activation energy in polycrystalline ferrites allow the profiles of depth distribution of oxygen introduced from the atmosphere into a ferrite at the stage of sintering or thermal treatment to be studied using a simple experimental technique. The analytical equations proposed here make it possible to determine the volume and grain-boundary diffusion coefficients of oxygen using a minimum number of adjustable parameters. Tomsk Polytechnic University. Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Fizika, No. 5, pp. 64–69, May, 1999.     

Grain-boundary hardening in polycrystalline copper-based solid solutions

A study is made of the contribution of grain-boundary hardening to the overall hardening in a polycrystalline material on the basis of Ashby's model. Yield curves are used for copper-based solid solutions in polycrystalline and singlecrystal forms. It is shown that the contribution from statistically accumulated dislocations to the yield stress in a polycrystalline specimen reflects the behavior of the corresponding single crystal. The contribution from grain boundaries to the yield stress can be described in terms of the additional dislocation density due to the joint grain deformation in the aggregate up to high strains. At low strains, the main role in hardening of a polycrystalline material is played by the grain boundaries. This extends up to larger strains as the strain temperature is reduced and the alloy-element concentration increases.Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Fizika, No. 1, pp. 47–52, January, 1984.     

Grain-boundary physics in polycrystalline CuInSe2 revisited: experiment and theory

Current studies have attributed the remarkable performance of polycrystalline CuInSe2 (CIS) to anomalous grain-boundary (GB) physics in CIS. The recent theory predicts that GBs in CIS are hole barriers, which prevent GB electrons from recombining. We examine the atomic structure and chemical composition of (112) GBs in Cu(In,Ga)Se2 (CIGS) using high-resolution Z-contrast imaging and nanoprobe x-ray energy-dispersive spectroscopy. We show that the theoretically predicted Cu-vacancy rows are not observed in (112) GBs in CIGS. Our first-principles modeling further reveals that the (112) GBs in CIS do not act as hole barriers. Our results suggest that the superior performance of polycrystalline CIS should not be explained solely by the GB behaviors.     

Positron annihilation in polycrystalline metals

The empirical relation θ _p ⁶ /I _p=aK (where θ _p is the limiting angle of the parabolic component in the angular distributions of annihilation photons in metals, I _p is the integrated contribution of this component, K=1, 2, 3, ... is an integer, and a is a constant independent of the type of metal) observed earlier has been tested on magnesium, aluminum, copper, zinc, lead, and bismuth samples. The validity of this relation has been substantiated. The value of the dimensionless constant a has been determined and was found to coincide within experimental error with the result obtained in previous measurements. It is shown that the value of K for the same metal but for different samples may be different. It is conjectured that this may be due to different defect concentrations in samples. Fiz. Tverd. Tela (St. Petersburg) 40, 600–602 (April 1998)     

Modeling the strain rate-dependent constitutive behavior in nanotwinned polycrystalline metals

Experimental studies have demonstrated that both strain rate and temperature influence the mechanical behavior of nanostructured metals significantly. In this work, a theoretical model is developed to describe the strain-rate-dependent constitutive behavior of nanotwinned polycrystalline metals. The athermal flow stress and thermal-activated flow stress are both considered in modeling the plastic deformation of a nanotwinned metal. Numerical results are consistent with the experimental results, showing that the present model can well describe the strain rate-dependent deformation behavior of nanotwinned polycrystalline copper. Henceforth, the constitutive behaviors of nanotwinned copper at different strain rates and temperatures can be predicted, which will be useful for optimizing the dynamic mechanical properties at various temperatures for nanotwinned metals.     

Impurity resistance in ferromagnetic metals

We studied the electrical resistivity of the ferromagnetic metal due to nonmagnetic impurities by considering the different densities of states at the Fermi surface and the different screened potentials for ± spin electrons. Contrary to Nieminen's result which shows that the electrical resistivity decreases when the magnetization increases, we find that the electric resistivity increases monotonically with increasing magnetization. We also do not find the resistivity minimum predicted by Kim and Schwartz.     

Calculation of diffuse thermal x-ray scattering intensity in polycrystalline HCP metals

In this work we perform a calculation of the intensity of thermal diffuse scattering from polycrystalline samples with an hcp structure, an interesting physical problem, by calculating the dynamical matrix and its powers. This is a new approach for polycrystalline hep metals. M. V. Lomonosov State University, Moscow. Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Fizika, Vol. 41, No. 12, pp. 3–6, December, 1998.     

Grain-boundary fluctuations in two-dimensional colloidal crystals

We study grain-boundary fluctuations in two-dimensional colloidal crystals in real space and time using video microscopy. The experimentally obtained static and dynamic correlation functions are very well described by expressions obtained using capillary wave theory. This directly leads to values for the interfacial stiffness and the interface mobility, the key parameters in curvature-driven grain-boundary migration. Furthermore, we show that the average grain-boundary position exhibits a one-dimensional random walk as recently suggested by computer simulations [Z. T. Trautt, M. Upmanyu, and A. Karma, Science 314, 632 (2006)]. The interface mobility determined from the mean-square displacement of the average grain-boundary position is in good agreement with values inferred from grain-boundary fluctuations.     

Angle-dependent ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy of sputter cleaned polycrystalline noble metals

Polycrystalline noble metal films are commonly used in practical applications across a variety of different fields. However, the surface electronic structure of the noble metals has primarily only been studied on single crystal substrates. In addition, sputter cleaned polycrystalline noble metal films are commonly used substrates in ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy (UPS) studies, but have yet to be systematically studied in terms of their photoemission anisotropy. The angle-dependence of the valence band spectra of sputter cleaned polycrystalline Au, Ag and Cu were studied using angle-resolved UPS. It is found that the photoemission is anisotropic with respect to photoelectron take-off angle. The results for Ag and Cu are in good agreement with previous reports of surface d-band narrowing in polycrystalline noble metal films. However, significant anisotropies in the d-band, s-band and Fermi edge of sputter cleaned Au are observed, which cannot be attributed to surface d-band narrowing alone. The unusual results for Au are attributed to drastic changes in the film morphology near the surface as a result of sputter cleaning.     

Anisotropic low temperature thermal resistance in polycrystalline magnetic thin films

The scattering of spin waves and the thermal resistance due to this scattering are calculated for polycrystalline magnetic thin films with a small overall uniaxial anisotropy. The scattering is caused by the random orientation of crystallites, and also by the magnetization ripple, which is likewise produced by this random orientation. The wavelength spectra of the ripple and of the spin waves at low energy are essentially influenced by the magnetostatic interaction, which is taken into account within Harte's linearized thin film approximation, and for comparison also within Hoffmann's approximation. Due to the anisotropy of the spectra, the contribution of the spin waves to the thermal resistance of permalloy films should be highly anisotropic at temperatures of 2 K and below.     

多晶体金属疲劳寿命随晶粒尺寸变化的理论研究

在疲劳断裂非平衡统计理论框架的基础上，根据界面能模型，推导出了多晶体金属的疲劳寿 命随晶粒尺寸、应变振幅的变化公式.还与有关实验结果进行了比较，发现理论与实验较为 相符. 关键词： 疲劳寿命 晶粒尺寸 非平衡统计理论 界面能模型     

Calculation of the electron-transfer parameters of thin polycrystalline films of metals

Electron transfer parametrs (scattering coefficient R, crystal-boundary transmission coefficient r, film-surface reflection coefficient) are calculated at temperatues t_msm=120, 293, and 573 K using Sc and Re films as an example. The conditions L d and L < d are satisfied, respectively, for these films (L is the mean diameter of the crystals and d is the thickness of the specimens). The films were obtained in a vacuum of 10^–6-5·10^–7 Pa. In the thickness ranges d200–500 Å (Re) and 300–800 Å (Sc), the films had a mean crystallite size of 250 and 600 Å, respectively. Experimental data on the dimensional effect of the temperature coefficient of resistance was analyzed within the framework of the Mayadas-Shatzkes (MS) theory, the model of isotropic carrier scattering, and the three-dimensional Tellier-Tosser-Pichard (TTP) model. It was concluded that the electrophysical properties of Sc films are satisfactorily described by the TTP model, while the MS theory yields exaggerated values of the coefficients r and p. In the case of films of Re, use was made of the isotropic scattering model and an approximation of the three-dimensional model for polycrystalline films. It was found that the coefficients r and R are independent of temperature.Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Fizika, No. 6, pp. 42–47, June, 1988.We thank V. B. Lobode and L. G. Kulemzina for their assistance in conducting the investigation.     

Initial stage of void and crack healing in polycrystalline metals under uniform compression

The effect of uniform pressure and temperature on voids and cracks located at grain boundaries in polycrystalline metals is studied. A high-sensitivity method for measuring density, scanning electron microscopy, and optical microscopy were used to analyze the healing of cavities. The results obtained are discussed on the basis of the existing notion of the kinetics of healing under pressure at various temperatures.     

Spreading resistance microscopy of polycrystalline and single-crystal ferroelectric films

Thin films based on lead zirconate titanate with stoichiometric composition near the morphotropic boundary have been studied using atomic-force microscopy methods. The dependence of the local conductivity on the local polarization direction has been observed for all samples, independently of substrate type, deposition method, and film thickness. It has been shown that the current response to the applied voltage exhibits a long current relaxation, about several tens of seconds, which is two to three orders of magnitude greater than the current relaxation time in an external circuit, associated with the ferroelectric domain switching. The conductivity features have been explained by recharging of traps localized at ferroelectric grain boundaries near electrodes and involved in polarization charge screening.     

Grain-boundary sliding in elongated microstructures during diffusion creep

In diffusion creep, the contribution of grain-boundary sliding to the overall strain os can be evaluated in arbitrary polycrystals, if the angular distribution of grain boundaries is known. A os value of 0.5 is obtained for two-dimensional (2D) equiaxed microstructures consisting of regular hexagonal grains, equiaxed grains grown from a Voronoi structure or grains having a circular distribution of grain-boundary angles. The os value is also evaluated for uniaxially deformed 2D microstructures, both diffusionally and uniformly deformed. For the former, the deformed microstructure is obtained by the simulation of microstructural evolution in polycrystals with straight grain boundaries. The os value increases gradually with increasing or decreasing strain and is larger in the diffusionally deformed microstructures than in the uniformly deformed microstructures for a given grain aspect ratio. The os value for three-dimensional (3D) polycrystalline microstructures is also obtained from an ellipsoidal distribution of grain-boundary angles. The resultant os value is 0.60 for 3D equiaxed polycrystals and increases gradually with increasing strain.     

Mössbauer diffraction and interference studies of polycrystalline metals and alloys

After a review of previous work on Mössbauer diffraction and interference phenomena, the principles of the kinematical theory of Mössbauer diffraction are presented. The emphasis is on how the spectroscopic capabilities of the Mössbauer effect can be used to advantage in diffraction studies on materials and condensed matter. Experimental results from Mössbauer powder diffractometry experiments are presented. These results identify the difficulties of Mössbauer powder diffraction experiments, but also demonstrate that a unique chemical environment selectivity is possible for Mössbauer diffraction. Future experiments with Mössbauer powder diffraction require the development of efficient detectors, and some possibilities are suggested.