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Microstructural evolution during the heat treatment of nanocrystalline alloys

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  31 January 2011

A.J. Detor  and
C.A. Schuh
A.J. Detor
Affiliation:
Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139
C.A. Schuh*
Affiliation:
Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139
*
a)Address all correspondence to this author. e-mail: [email protected]
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Abstract

Nanocrystalline alloys often show exceptional thermal stability as a consequence of kinetic and thermodynamic impediments to grain growth. However, evaluating the various contributions to stability requires detailed investigation of the solute distribution, which is challenging within the fine structural-length-scales of nanocrystalline materials. In the present work, we use a variety of techniques to assess changes in the grain size, chemical ordering, grain-boundary segregation, and grain-boundary structure during the heat treatment of Ni–W specimens synthesized over a wide range of grain sizes from 3 to 70 nm. A schematic microstructural evolution map is also developed based on analytical models of the various processes activated during annealing, highlighting the effects of alloying in nanocrystalline materials.

Keywords

AlloyAnnealingNanostructure
Type
Articles
Information
Journal of Materials Research , Volume 22 , Issue 11 , November 2007 , pp. 3233 - 3248
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2007

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References

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