Atomic force microscopy reveals thermally induced grain growth via shear-coupled migration
Abstract
Grain boundary (GB) migration is typically assumed to proceed by diffusive atomic events following curvature-driven flow. However, recent 4D (3D plus time) experiments and atomic-to-mesoscale simulations have shown that thermally induced grain growth in polycrystals deviates from this assumption. GB migration mediated by disconnections—producing both boundary translation and shear—may resolve this discrepancy, although such shear is usually restricted by surrounding grains. We directly demonstrate shear-coupled migration during grain growth in 10μm-sized nickel by measuring surface displacements associated with GB migration using atomic force microscopy. Migrated GBs induced significant surface topography changes, clearly differing from grooves observed for stationary GBs.
Fields of Study & Subjects
Microstructure and mechanical properties
Solidification and crystal growth phenomena
Theoretical and Computational Physics
Publication details
- Journal / source
- Materials Research Letters
- Publisher
- Informa UK Limited
- Volume
- 14
- Issue
- 4
- Pages
- 468–476
- Publication date
- 18 February 2026
- Language
- EN