Heterogeneous solute segregation suppresses strain localization in nanocrystalline Ag-Ni alloys

Pan, Zhiliang; Sansoz, Frederic

doi:10.1016/j.actamat.2020.08.074

Title: Heterogeneous solute segregation suppresses strain localization in nanocrystalline Ag-Ni alloys

Journal Article · Wed Sep 02 00:00:00 EDT 2020 · Acta Materialia

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actamat.2020.08.074· OSTI ID:1669363

Pan, Zhiliang ^[1]; Sansoz, Frederic ^[2]

Guilin University of Electronic Technology, Guangxi Province (China)
University of Vermont, Burlington, VT (United States)

Solute segregation to individual grain boundaries is used by design to produce strong and stable nanocrystalline metallic alloys. Grain-boundary segregation, however, is known to cause adverse embrittlement effects from a strain-localization failure mechanism that imposes significant material limitations for structural applications. Here, using atomistic simulations, it is discovered that heterogeneous Ni segregation in nanocrystalline Ni-mixed Ag alloys dramatically shuts down localized shear bands during plastic deformation, while simultaneously increasing the tensile strength. Nanocrystalline Cu-mixed Ag metals are predicted to exhibit standard homogeneous Cu segregation and a tensile strength that saturates above a solute concentration of 8 at.% due to glass-like shear localization induced by grain boundaries. By contrast, it is found that heterogeneous Ni segregation in nanocrystalline Ag-Ni alloys forms solute-rich clusters along interfaces leading to strain delocalization at high strain and continuous strengthening at high solute concentrations up to 15 at.%. As a result, this study reveals the importance of heterogeneous versus homogeneous segregation behaviors on strain localization and points to a fundamentally new strategy to design failure-resistant nanostructured materials through grain boundary segregation engineering.

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Research Organization:: Univ. of Vermont, Burlington, VT (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES)

Grant/Contract Number:: SC0020054

OSTI ID:: 1669363

Alternate ID(s):: OSTI ID: 1659368

Journal Information:: Acta Materialia, Vol. 200; ISSN 1359-6454

Publisher:: ElsevierCopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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