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Title: New nanoscale toughening mechanisms mitigate embrittlement in binary nanocrystalline alloys

Abstract

Nanocrystalline metals offer significant improvements in structural performance over conventional alloys. However, their performance is limited by grain boundary instability and limited ductility. Solute segregation has been proposed as a stabilization mechanism, however the solute atoms can embrittle grain boundaries and further degrade the toughness. In the present study, we confirm the embrittling effect of solute segregation in Pt–Au alloys. However, more importantly, we show that inhomogeneous chemical segregation to the grain boundary can lead to a new toughening mechanism termed compositional crack arrest. Energy dissipation is facilitated by the formation of nanocrack networks formed when cracks arrested at regions of the grain boundaries that were starved in the embrittling element. This mechanism, in concert with triple junction crack arrest, provides pathways to optimize both thermal stability and energy dissipation. A combination of in situ tensile deformation experiments and molecular dynamics simulations elucidate both the embrittling and toughening processes that can occur as a function of solute content.

Authors:
ORCiD logo [1]; ORCiD logo [1]; ORCiD logo [1];  [1];  [1];  [1]; ORCiD logo [1];  [1];  [1]; ORCiD logo [1]
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  1. Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES) (SC-22)
OSTI Identifier:
1481807
Alternate Identifier(s):
OSTI ID: 1485835
Report Number(s):
SAND-2018-11515J
Journal ID: ISSN 2040-3364; NANOHL; 669386
Grant/Contract Number:  
AC04-94AL85000; NA0003525; 15013170
Resource Type:
Published Article
Journal Name:
Nanoscale
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 10; Journal Issue: 45; Journal ID: ISSN 2040-3364
Publisher:
Royal Society of Chemistry
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
36 MATERIALS SCIENCE; 77 NANOSCIENCE AND NANOTECHNOLOGY

Citation Formats

Heckman, Nathan M., Foiles, Stephen M., O'Brien, Christopher John, Chandross, Michael E., Barr, Christopher Michael, Argibay, Nicolas, Hattar, Khalid Mikhiel, Lu, Ping, Adams, David P., and Boyce, Brad L. New nanoscale toughening mechanisms mitigate embrittlement in binary nanocrystalline alloys. United States: N. p., 2018. Web. doi:10.1039/C8NR06419A.
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Heckman, Nathan M., Foiles, Stephen M., O'Brien, Christopher John, Chandross, Michael E., Barr, Christopher Michael, Argibay, Nicolas, Hattar, Khalid Mikhiel, Lu, Ping, Adams, David P., & Boyce, Brad L. New nanoscale toughening mechanisms mitigate embrittlement in binary nanocrystalline alloys. United States. doi:10.1039/C8NR06419A.
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Heckman, Nathan M., Foiles, Stephen M., O'Brien, Christopher John, Chandross, Michael E., Barr, Christopher Michael, Argibay, Nicolas, Hattar, Khalid Mikhiel, Lu, Ping, Adams, David P., and Boyce, Brad L. Mon . "New nanoscale toughening mechanisms mitigate embrittlement in binary nanocrystalline alloys". United States. doi:10.1039/C8NR06419A.
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@article{osti_1481807,
title = {New nanoscale toughening mechanisms mitigate embrittlement in binary nanocrystalline alloys},
author = {Heckman, Nathan M. and Foiles, Stephen M. and O'Brien, Christopher John and Chandross, Michael E. and Barr, Christopher Michael and Argibay, Nicolas and Hattar, Khalid Mikhiel and Lu, Ping and Adams, David P. and Boyce, Brad L.},
abstractNote = {Nanocrystalline metals offer significant improvements in structural performance over conventional alloys. However, their performance is limited by grain boundary instability and limited ductility. Solute segregation has been proposed as a stabilization mechanism, however the solute atoms can embrittle grain boundaries and further degrade the toughness. In the present study, we confirm the embrittling effect of solute segregation in Pt–Au alloys. However, more importantly, we show that inhomogeneous chemical segregation to the grain boundary can lead to a new toughening mechanism termed compositional crack arrest. Energy dissipation is facilitated by the formation of nanocrack networks formed when cracks arrested at regions of the grain boundaries that were starved in the embrittling element. This mechanism, in concert with triple junction crack arrest, provides pathways to optimize both thermal stability and energy dissipation. A combination of in situ tensile deformation experiments and molecular dynamics simulations elucidate both the embrittling and toughening processes that can occur as a function of solute content.},
doi = {10.1039/C8NR06419A},
journal = {Nanoscale},
number = 45,
volume = 10,
place = {United States},
year = {2018},
month = {11}
}
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Journal Article:
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DOI: 10.1039/C8NR06419A
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Cited by: 2 works
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Figures / Tables:

Figure 1 Figure 1: Experimental setup for in-situ SEM tensile tests. Fatigue tests were performed on a custom-built tensile stage, shown as a schematic in (a) and optically in (b). Tensile dogbone samples for both Pt and Pt-10Au were 500 pm wide with a FIB-prepared notch 50 microns deep and 10 micronsmore » in diameter, as illustrated in (c-d). The white arrow in (d) shows the viewing direction during the in-situ SEM test, where the notch was viewed at a 45° angle.« less
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