Modeling of abnormal grain growth in (111) oriented and nanotwinned copper.

Uni-modal, not bi-modal, of abnormal grain growth has been observed in (111) oriented and nano-twinned Cu films. Because of the highly anisotropic microstructure, our kinetic analysis and calculation showed that it is the mobility which dominates the uni-modal growth, in which the lateral growth rate can be two orders of magnitude higher than the vertical growth rate. As a consequence, the abnormal grain growth has been converted from bi-modal to uni-modal.

Hollow nanoshell formation and collapse in binary solid solutions with large range of solubility.

The formation of a solid solution hollow nanoshell from core-shell structure and collapse of this nanoshell into a compact particle is modelled by a phenomenological scheme and by Monte Carlo simulation. The cross-over between formation and collapse, and the criteria of nanoshell formation are analysed.

Microstructural stability of the Kirkendall plane in solid-state diffusion.

In a diffusion-controlled interaction, the Kirkendall plane, as marked by inert particles placed at the original contact surface of a reaction couple, need not be unique. Multiple planes can develop, and sometimes the Kirkendall plane does not exist at all. A phenomenological approach is introduced to rationalize the Kirkendall-effect-mediated migration of macroscopic inclusions inside a diffusion zone.