| About this Abstract |
| Meeting |
MS&T24: Materials Science & Technology
|
| Symposium
|
Grain Boundaries, Interfaces, and Surfaces: Fundamental Structure-Property-Performance Relationships
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| Presentation Title |
Thicker Amorphous Grain Boundary Complexions Lead to Increased Plasticity in Nanocrystalline Cu Alloys |
| Author(s) |
Esther Hessong, Tongjun Niu, Nicolo Maria della Ventura, Brad Boyce, Saryu Fensin, Timothy Rupert |
| On-Site Speaker (Planned) |
Esther Hessong |
| Abstract Scope |
Amorphous complexions are important microstructural features because they are hypothesized to increase the toughness of the grain boundary region. Here, the effect of amorphous complexion thickness on the deformation of nanocrystalline Cu-Zr was studied with in-situ micropillar compression testing. Two model materials were created, one with thicker amorphous complexions and one with thinner amorphous complexions; both have yield strengths higher than 800 MPa. The sample with thinner complexions experienced nonuniform plastic deformation in the form of heterogeneous wrinkling and localized plastic flow when pushed to large deformations. In contrast, the sample with thicker complexions displayed increased plasticity and high damage tolerance, with uniform plastic deformation in both medium and high strain conditions. Grain boundary descriptors, such as complexion thickness and short-range order, influence the plasticity. Increasing complexion thickness increases the ability to diffuse strain concentration and absorb dislocations. We conclude that thicker complexions increase the plasticity of the Cu-Zr alloy. |