RL Grosso KSN Vikrant, L Feng, ENS Muccillo, DNF Muche, GS Jawaharram, CM Barr, AM Monterrosa, RHR Castro, RE García, K Hattar, SJ Dillon “Ultrahigh Temperature in situ Transmission Electron Microscopy based Bicrystal Coble Creep in Zirconia II: Interfacial Thermodynamics and Transport Mechanisms.” Acta Materialia, 200:1008-1021, 2020. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actamat.2020.08.070

Abstract

This work uses a combination of stress dependent single grain boundary Coble creep and zero-creep experiments to measure interfacial energies, along with grain boundary point defect formation and migration volumes in cubic ZrO₂. These data, along with interfacial diffusivities measured in a companion paper are then applied to analyzing two-particle sintering. The analysis presented indicates that the large activation volume,  primarily derives from a large migration volume v*=v_f + v_m and suggests that the grain boundary rate limiting defects are delocalized, possibly due to electrostatic interactions between charge compensating defects. The discrete nature of the sintering and creep process observed in the small-scale experiments supports the hypothesis that grain boundary dislocations serve as sources and sinks for grain boundary point defects and facilitate strain during sintering and Coble creep. Model two-particle sintering experiments demonstrate that initial-stage densification follows interface reaction rate-limited kinetics.