Atomic-scale Investigation of Liquid-Metal-Embrittlement Crack-path: Revealing Mechanism and Role of Grain Boundary Chemistry

Although a high population of grain boundaries in polycrystalline materials improves structural strength, it increases risk of grain boundary-based degradations such as liquid metal embrittlement (LME). In LME, an aggressive liquid metal attacks the grain boundary network of solid metal, leading to fracture. Thus far, LME studies have been limited to micro- and meso-scale grain boundary investigations. However, to fully understand the LME …