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Minimum Grain Size in Nanocrystalline Metal Powders

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 February 2011

J. Eckert ,
Y. R. Abe ,
Z. Fu  and
W. L. Johnson
J. Eckert
Affiliation:
California Institute of Technology, W.M. Keck Laboratory of Engineering Materials 138-78, Pasadena, CA 91125
Y. R. Abe
Affiliation:
California Institute of Technology, W.M. Keck Laboratory of Engineering Materials 138-78, Pasadena, CA 91125
Z. Fu
Affiliation:
California Institute of Technology, W.M. Keck Laboratory of Engineering Materials 138-78, Pasadena, CA 91125
W. L. Johnson
Affiliation:
California Institute of Technology, W.M. Keck Laboratory of Engineering Materials 138-78, Pasadena, CA 91125
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Abstract

Nanocrystalline metal powders can be synthesized by mechanical attrition in a highenergy ball mill. A general relation determining the grain size of these materials is inferred. The ultimate grain size of nanocrystalline metals (typically 6 − 22 nm) is governed by the competition between the severe plastic deformation introduced during ball milling and the recovery behavior of the material. The lower bound grain size achievable by mechanical attrition is given by the minimum distance between two dislocations in a pile-up within a grain for all pure metals. Foar binary alloys the ultimate grain size depends on the composition of the material. Varying the composition changes the grain size reversibly. This can be explained by introducing solid solution hardening effects in the general relation for the lower bound grain size in pure metals. Thus, the proposed model for the ultimate grain size achievable by ball milling seems to be. applicable to all metals and alloys subjected to heavy mechanical deformation. However, reversible grain size changes are not restricted to mechanical attrition, but have also been observed for nanocrystalline Pd-H solid solutions produced by hydriding at constant pressure. Solid solutions prepared at different compositions, i.e. samples with different compositions, exhibit different grain sizes. Cycling between different temperatures/compositions changes the grain size reversibly. This cannot be explained by a model based on plastic deformation as in the case of ball-milled metal powders. The results are compared with data for ball-milled powders and samples prepared by inert gas condensation. The grain size changes are discussed with respect to the compositional changes and the grain boundary energy of the material.

Type
Research Article
Information
MRS Online Proceedings Library (OPL) , Volume 272: Symposium O – Chemical Processes in Inorganic Materials: Metal and Semiconductor Clusters , 1992 , 271
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 1992

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