3D characterization of abnormal grain growth in nanocrystalline nickel

Abnormal grain growth, a pervasive phenomenon witnessed during the annealing of nanocrystalline metals, precipitates a swift diminution of the distinctive properties inherent to such materials. Historically, conventional transmission electron microscopy has struggled to efficiently procure comprehensive five-parameter crystallographic information from a substantial number of grain boundaries in nanocrystalline metals, thus inhibiting a deeper understanding of abnormal grain growth behavior within nanocrystalline materials. In this study, we utilize a high-throughput characterization method—three-dimensional orientation mapping in the TEM (3D-OMiTEM) to characterize the crystallographic five-parameter character of grain boundaries with an area of over 3.4 × 10⁶ nm² in an abnormally grown nanocrystalline nickel sample. When coupled with existing theoretical simulation results, it is discerned that the grain boundary population shows a relatively large scatter when it is correlated to the calculated grain boundary energy; the grain boundaries of abnormally grown grains exhibit lower grain boundary energy compared to those that have not undergone abnormal growth. Merging high-throughput grain boundary information obtained from three-dimensional orientation mapping data with grain boundary properties derived from high-throughput theoretical calculations following the concept of materials genome engineering will undoubtedly facilitate further advancements in comprehending and discerning the interfacial behaviors of crystalline materials.