Simple Method of Including Density Variation in Quantitative Continuum Phase-Change Models.

We present a simple, quantitative, and thermodynamically self-consistent method of capturing density and pressure variation in continuum phase-change models. The formalism shows how the local state of homogenous dilation may be entirely given by species concentration in an Eulerian formulation. A hyperelastic contribution to the thermodynamic potential generalizes the lattice constraint while permitting composition, temperature, and phase-dependent specific volumes. We compare the results of models implementing this paradigm to those with the lattice constraint by examining the composition and size-dependent equilibrium of a Ni-Cu nanoparticle in its melt and free dendritic growth.

Three-dimensional imaging of dislocation dynamics during the hydriding phase transformation.

Crystallographic imperfections significantly alter material properties and their response to external stimuli, including solute-induced phase transformations. Despite recent progress in imaging defects using electron and X-ray techniques, in situ three-dimensional imaging of defect dynamics remains challenging. Here, we use Bragg coherent diffractive imaging to image defects during the hydriding phase transformation of palladium nanocrystals. During constant-pressure experiments we observe that the phase transformation begins after dislocation nucleation close to the phase boundary in particles larger than 300 nm. The three-dimensional phase morphology suggests that the hydrogen-rich phase is more similar to a spherical cap on the hydrogen-poor phase than to the core-shell model commonly assumed. We substantiate this using three-dimensional phase field modelling, demonstrating how phase morphology affects the critical size for dislocation nucleation. Our results reveal how particle size and phase morphology affects transformations in the PdH system.

Linearization-based method for solving a multicomponent diffusion phase-field model with arbitrary solution thermodynamics.

This article describes a phase-field model for an isothermal multicomponent, multiphase system which avoids implicit interfacial energy contributions by starting from a grand potential formulation. A method is developed for incorporating arbitrary forms of the equilibrium thermodynamic potentials in all phases to determine an explicit relationship between chemical potentials and species concentrations. The model incorporates variable densities between adjacent phases, defect migration, and dependence of internal pressure on object dimensions ranging from the macro- to nanoscale. A demonstrative simulation of an overpressurized nanoscopic intragranular bubble in nuclear fuel migrating to a grain boundary under kinetically limited vacancy diffusion is shown.

Avalanching strain dynamics during the hydriding phase transformation in individual palladium nanoparticles.

Phase transitions in reactive environments are crucially important in energy and information storage, catalysis and sensors. Nanostructuring active particles can yield faster charging/discharging kinetics, increased lifespan and record catalytic activities. However, establishing the causal link between structure and function is challenging for nanoparticles, as ensemble measurements convolve intrinsic single-particle properties with sample diversity. Here we study the hydriding phase transformation in individual palladium nanocubes in situ using coherent X-ray diffractive imaging. The phase transformation dynamics, which involve the nucleation and propagation of a hydrogen-rich region, are dependent on absolute time (aging) and involve intermittent dynamics (avalanching). A hydrogen-rich surface layer dominates the crystal strain in the hydrogen-poor phase, while strain inversion occurs at the cube corners in the hydrogen-rich phase. A three-dimensional phase-field model is used to interpret the experimental results. Our experimental and theoretical approach provides a general framework for designing and optimizing phase transformations for single nanocrystals in reactive environments.