A Closer Look at Grain Boundaries (1 of 3) (IMAGE)

American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)

A Closer Look at Grain Boundaries (1 of 3)

Caption

Gold particles equilibrated on the surface of sapphire in the presence of anorthite glass. Elements from the glass adsorb to the interface between the gold and sapphire, forming 1.2nm thick intergranular films. The solid-solid interface energy in the presence of the intergranular films was measured, showing that the films reduce the interface energy. This image relates to an article that appeared in the April 8, 2011, issue of Science, published by AAAS. The study, by M. Baram of Technion–Israel Institute of Technology in Haifa, Israel, and colleagues was titled, "Nanometer-Thick Equilibrium Films: The Interface Between Thermodynamics and Atomistics."

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