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Phase transformations observed at the interfaces between crystalline grains in pure metals

Interfaces between the tiny crystal grains that make up solid copper have been shown to change from one ordered phase to another, independently of the phase adopted by the crystals, opening up prospects for materials development.
  1. Eugen Rabkin

    1. Eugen Rabkin is in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Technion – Israel Institute of Technology, 3200003 Haifa, Israel.

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Some solid metals exist in various structural forms, a phenomenon known as polymorphism. Iron, for example, adopts one type of cubic lattice (α-iron) at room temperature, but transforms into another (γ-iron) above 912 °C. This is an example of a phase transformation — an abrupt change in the atomic structure of a material that occurs during a gradual change in temperature or pressure. The transformation of γ- to α-iron that occurs when iron alloyed with carbon is rapidly cooled from a high temperature has long been used to produce hard and strong steels; by contrast, pure iron is soft and ductile. Writing in Nature, Meiners et al.1 report that polymorphic phase transformations can also occur at the interfaces between the tiny crystals that make up most pure metals. This discovery suggests a fresh approach for processing metallic materials to optimize their properties for applications.

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Nature 579, 350-351 (2020)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-020-00765-3

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