Elucidating the kinetics of twin boundaries from thermal fluctuations

DK Chen and Y Kulkarni, MRS COMMUNICATIONS, 3, 241-244 (2013).

DOI: 10.1557/mrc.2013.37

There is compelling evidence for the critical role of twin boundaries (TBs) in imparting the extraordinary combination of strength and ductility to nanotwinned metals. Here, we investigate the thermal fluctuations of TBs in face-centered-cubic metals to elucidate the deformation mechanisms governing their kinetic properties using molecular dynamics simulations. Our results show that the TB motion is strongly coupled to shear deformation up to 0.95 homologous temperature. A rather unexpected observation is that coherent TBs do not exhibit any capillarity-induced fluctuations even at high temperatures, in sharp contrast to other high-angle grain boundaries.

Return to Publications page