A nanocrystalline metal's strength increases significantly as its grain size decreases, a phenomenon known as the Hall-Petch relation. Such relation, however, breaks down when the grains become too small. Experimental studies have circumvented this problem in a set of Ni-Mo alloys by stabilizing the grain boundaries (GB). Here, using atomistic simulations with a machine learning-based interatomic potential (ML-IAP), we demonstrate that the inverse Hall-Petch relation can be correctly reproduced due to a change in the dominant deformation mechanism as the grain becomes small in the Ni-Mo polycrystals. It is found that the atomic von Mises strain can be significantly reduced by either solute doping and/or annealing for small-grain-size polycrystals, leading to the increased strength of the polycrystals. On the other hand, for large-grain-size polycrystals, annealing weakens the material due to the large atomic movements in GB regions. Over a broad range of grain size, the superposition of the solute and annealing effects on polycrystals enhances the strength of those with small grain size more than those with large ones, giving rise to the continuous strengthening at extremely small grain sizes. Overall, this study not only demonstrates the reliability of the ML-IAP, but also provides a comprehensive atomistic view of complex strengthening mechanisms in nanocrystals, opening up a new avenue to tailor their mechanical properties.
Synergistic doping of the grain interior and grain boundary alters deformation mechanisms and enables extreme strength in nanocrystalline Ni-Cr-Y alloys
University of California, Irvine（加州大学尔湾分校）；Stony Brook University（石溪大学）；Oak Ridge National Laboratory（橡树岭国家实验室）；Johns Hopkins University（约翰斯·霍普金斯大学）
Phonon-Mediated Thermal Transport in Nanocrystalline Silicon Using Machine-Learning Interatomic Potentials
International Iberian Nanotechnology Laboratory (INL)（伊比利亚纳米技术国际实验室）；Universitat de Barcelona (UB)（巴塞罗那大学）；Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology (IN2UB)（纳米科学与技术研究所）；Catalan Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology (ICN2), CSIC and BIST（加泰罗尼亚纳米科学技术研究所（ICN2）, 西班牙国家研究委员会和巴塞罗那智能科技学院）；Nanomaterials and Nanotechnology Research Center (CINN-CSIC), Universidad de Oviedo (UO)（纳米材料与纳米技术研究中心（CINN-CSIC）, 奥维耶多大学）
A cylindrical sintering method for more realistic grain boundaries in nanocrystalline thin films
Institute of Physics of Materials, The Czech Academy of Sciences（材料物理研究所，捷克科学院）；Central European Institute of Technology, Brno University of Technology（中欧技术研究所，布尔诺理工大学）；Charles University, Faculty of Mathematics and Physics（查理大学，数学与物理学院）
