Faceting of a moving grain boundary and its effect on the kinetic properties of grain boundaries

The motion of an individual half-loop grain boundary in zinc is studied experimentally. A correlation is revealed between the half-loop’s mobility and the change in the shape of its structural elements (curved segments, facets, and grain boundary edges). A hysteresis is observed on the temperature dependence curve of grain boundary mobility. The results from investigating grain boundary migration accompanied by faceting inside zinc bicrystals indicate that unsteady grain boundary motion occurs upon high-temperature isothermal annealing. The unsteady motion is due to the considerable difference between the mobility of a facet and that of the curved part of a grain boundary.