Understanding the mechanisms of amorphous creep through molecular simulation

Molecular processes of creep in metallic glass thin films are simulated at experimental timescales using a metadynamics-based atomistic method. Space-time evolutions of the atomic strains and nonaffine atom displacements are analyzed to reveal details of the atomic-level deformation and flow processes of amorphous creep in response to stress and thermal activations. From the simulation results, resolved spatially on the nanoscale and temporally over time increments of fractions of a second, we derive a mechanistic explanation of the well-known variation of creep rate with stress. We also construct a deformation map delineating the predominant regimes of diffusional creep at low stress and high temperature and deformational creep at high stress. Our findings validate the relevance of two original models of the mechanisms of amorphous plasticity: one focusing on atomic diffusion via free volume and the other focusing on stress-induced shear deformation. These processes are found to be nonlinearly coupled through dynamically heterogeneous fluctuations that characterize the slow dynamics of systems out of equilibrium. Keywords: creep, molecular simulation, deformation mechanism, atomistic modeling, metallic glassUnited States. Department of Energy (Grant DE-NE0008450)National Science Foundation (U.S.) (CAREER Grant DMR-1654548)United States. Department of Energy. Office of Basic Energy Sciences (Grant DE-SC0002633

Multiscale materials modeling at the mesoscale

The challenge to link understanding and manipulation at the microscale to functional behaviour at the macroscale defines the frontiers of mesoscale science. O ver the course of the past decade, the impact of computation on materials research has expanded dramatically. A number of panel reports In 2012, the Office of Science, part of the US Department of Energy, initiated a dialogue with the science community through a series of town-hall meetings, the purpose being to identify new science frontiers at the mesoscale 10 . A website (www.meso2012.com) 4 was established to solicit community input. A report, From Quanta to the Continuum, has been released 4 along with an overview of the findings relevant to the materials community 11 . (Reference 4 is particularly relevant in that it gives a complete account of the broad community discussions of strategic research that connects materials science and engineering to the science and technology community at large.) It seems that 'mesoscale science' (MSS) should be viewed as an open concept, the principles of which are not precisely specified until a problem context is established. In other words, MSS can be characterized in many different ways. An early approach looked for organizing principles governing certain phenomena, such as energy landscape descriptions of transition states, selforganization and dynamical feedback, and frustration (or localization) effects, known , and corresponding theoretical calculations (solid curves

Equilibration of isolated macroscopic quantum systems

We investigate the equilibration of an isolated macroscopic quantum system in the sense that deviations from a steady state become unmeasurably small for the overwhelming majority of times within any sufficiently large time interval. The main requirements are that the initial state, possibly far from equilibrium, exhibits a macroscopic population of at most one energy level and that degeneracies of energy eigenvalues and of energy gaps (differences of energy eigenvalues) are not of exceedingly large multiplicities. Our approach closely follows and extends recent works by Short and Farrelly [2012 New J. Phys. 14 013063], in particular going beyond the realm of finite-dimensional systems and large effective dimensions.Comment: 19 page

Nano-scale corrosion mechanism of T91 steel in static lead-bismuth eutectic: a combined APT, EBSD, and STEM investigation

T91 steel is a candidate material for structural components in lead-bismuth-eutectic (LBE) cooled systems, for example fast reactors and solar power plants [1]. However, the corrosion mechanisms of T91 in LBE remain poorly understood. In this study, we have analysed the static corrosion of T91 in liquid LBE using a range of characterisation techniques at increasingly smaller scales. A unique pattern of liquid metal intrusion was observed that does not appear to correlate with the grain boundary network. Upon closer inspection, electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) reveals a change in the morphology of grains at the LBE-exposed surface, suggesting a local phase transition. Energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) maps show that Cr is depleted in the T91 material near the LBE interface. Furthermore, we observed the dissolution of all Cr-enriched precipitates in this region. Although the corrosion is conducted in an oxygen deficient environment, both scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) and atom probe tomography (APT) reveal a thin surface oxide layer (presumably wüstite) at the LBE-steel interface. Using electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS) in the STEM, as well as APT, the atomic scale elemental redistribution and 3D morphology of the corrosion interface is investigated. By combining results from these different techniques, several types of oxide phases and structures can be identified. Based on this detailed nano-scale information, we propose potential mechanisms of T91 corrosion in LBE

IM3D: A parallel Monte Carlo code for efficient simulations of primary radiation displacements and damage in 3D geometry

SRIM-like codes have limitations in describing general 3D geometries, for modeling radiation displacements and damage in nanostructured materials. A universal, computationally efficient and massively parallel 3D Monte Carlo code, IM3D, has been developed with excellent parallel scaling performance. IM3D is based on fast indexing of scattering integrals and the SRIM stopping power database, and allows the user a choice of Constructive Solid Geometry (CSG) or Finite Element Triangle Mesh (FETM) method for constructing 3D shapes and microstructures. For 2D films and multilayers, IM3D perfectly reproduces SRIM results, and can be ∼10[superscript 2] times faster in serial execution and > 10[superscript 4] times faster using parallel computation. For 3D problems, it provides a fast approach for analyzing the spatial distributions of primary displacements and defect generation under ion irradiation. Herein we also provide a detailed discussion of our open-source collision cascade physics engine, revealing the true meaning and limitations of the “Quick Kinchin-Pease” and “Full Cascades” options. The issues of femtosecond to picosecond timescales in defining displacement versus damage, the limitation of the displacements per atom (DPA) unit in quantifying radiation damage (such as inadequacy in quantifying degree of chemical mixing), are discussed.National Natural Science Foundation (China) (Grant 11275229)National Natural Science Foundation (China) (Grant 11475215)National Natural Science Foundation (China) (Grant NSAF U1230202)National Natural Science Foundation (China) (Grant 11534012)National Basic Research Program of China (973 Program) (Grant 2012CB933702)Hefei Center for Physical Science and Technology (Grant 2012FXZY004)Chinese Academy of Sciences (Hefei Institutes of Physical Science (CASHIPS) Director Grant)National Science Foundation (U.S.) (DMR-1410636)National Science Foundation (U.S.) (DMR-1120901

Non-contact, non-destructive mapping of thermal diffusivity and surface acoustic wave speed using transient grating spectroscopy

We present new developments of the laser-induced transient grating spectroscopy (TGS) technique that enable the measurement of large area 2D maps of thermal diffusivity and surface acoustic wave speed. Additional capabilities include targeted measurements and the ability to accommodate samples with increased surface roughness. These new capabilities are demonstrated by recording large TGS maps of deuterium implanted tungsten, linear friction welded aerospace alloys and high entropy alloys with a range of grain sizes. The results illustrate the ability to view grain microstructure in elastically anisotropic samples, and to detect anomalies in samples, for example due to irradiation and previous measurements. They also point to the possibility of using TGS to quantify grain size at the surface of polycrystalline materials.Comment: The following article has been submitted to Review of Scientific Instruments. After it is published, it will be found at https://aip.scitation.org/journal/rs

Focused-helium-ion-beam blow forming of nanostructures: radiation damage and nanofabrication.

Targeted irradiation of nanostructures by a finely focused ion beam provides routes to improved control of material modification and understanding of the physics of interactions between ion beams and nanomaterials. Here, we studied radiation damage in crystalline diamond and silicon nanostructures using a focused helium ion beam, with the former exhibiting extremely long-range ion propagation and large plastic deformation in a process visibly analogous to blow forming. We report the dependence of damage morphology on material, geometry, and irradiation conditions (ion dose, ion energy, ion species, and location). We anticipate that our method and findings will not only improve the understanding of radiation damage in isolated nanostructures, but will also support the design of new engineering materials and devices for current and future applications in nanotechnology

Revealing hidden defects through stored energy measurements of radiation damage

With full knowledge of a material’s atomistic structure, it is possible to predict any macroscopic property of interest. In practice, this is hindered by limitations of the chosen characterization techniques. For example, electron microscopy is unable to detect the smallest and most numerous defects in irradiated materials. Instead of spatial characterization, we propose to detect and quantify defects through their excess energy. Differential scanning calorimetry of irradiated Ti measures defect densities five times greater than those determined using transmission electron microscopy. Our experiments also reveal two energetically distinct processes where the established annealing model predicts one. Molecular dynamics simulations discover the defects responsible and inform a new mechanism for the recovery of irradiation-induced defects. The combination of annealing experiments and simulations can reveal defects hidden to other characterization techniques and has the potential to uncover new mechanisms behind the evolution of defects in materials.Peer reviewe