| Abstract Scope |
Grain boundaries (GBs) can possess distinct interfacial structures [see a Perspective article, Science 368:381 (2024), and references therein], which can be treated as thermodynamically two-dimensional interfacial phases (also termed “complexions”). Just as bulk phase diagrams are arguably the most useful tool for materials design, their GB counterparts are envisioned to play an equally important role in materials science. In this talk, I will first review a series of our studies on computing GB phase diagrams [see a Perspective article, Interdisciplinary Materials 2:137 (2023), and references therein]. In addition to temperature and chemical potentials, applied electric fields can also induce GB transitions electrochemically [Nature Communications 12:2374 (2021)]. Such electrochemically induced GB transitions can, in turn, be used to create graded microstructures and tailor microstructural evolution [Materials Today 73:66 (2024), Journal of the European Ceramic Society 46:118104 (2026), and unpublished results]. |