Inclination asymmetry enables plasticity-mediated grain boundary migration in metals

Inclination asymmetry enables plasticity-mediated grain boundary migration in metals | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Article Inclination asymmetry enables plasticity-mediated grain boundary migration in metals Mohammed Kamran Bhat, Anxin Ma, Maik Punke, Peter Schweizer, Hui Ding, and 6 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-9438383/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Review Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Grain boundary (GB) migration has traditionally been described as capillarity-driven, with GBs moving toward their centre of curvature to reduce total interfacial area and energy. However, recent observations have shown that GB migration is largely mediated by disconnections that couple with internal and external stress, thereby inducing additional phenomenology and grain growth even under ambient conditions. These observations are often influenced by multiple, simultaneously active factors, including elevated temperatures, complex nanocrystalline microstructures, and heterogeneity of stress or strain states. In addition, surface or beam effects during in-situ transmission electron microscopy make it difficult to directly link GB crystallography to migration propensity under applied stress or strain. Using a controlled multiscale bicrystal experimental framework combined with multiscale simulations, we demonstrate that GB migration under ambient conditions occurs in a copper bicrystal above a certain threshold strain. The strain dependence and selective migration of an asymmetric Σ5 GB, as opposed to its symmetric counterpart, are explored synergistically through micropillar compression experiments, crystal plasticity simulations, phase-field crystal plasticity modelling, and molecular statics simulations. Interestingly, the material’s strain-hardening response is altered when GB migration sets in, and, contrary to classical expectations, the total GB area increases. Together, these results provide clear evidence and a detailed understanding of GB migration driven by plastic deformation, accounting not only for crystallography but also for its interplay with strain rate and dislocation–GB interactions. The implications of this study are critical for understanding and controlling microstructural evolution during thermomechanical processing. Physical sciences/Materials science/Structural materials/Mechanical properties Physical sciences/Materials science Full Text Additional Declarations There is NO Competing Interest. Supplementary Files bhatetalsupplementaryGBmigration.docx Inclination asymmetry enables plasticity-mediated grain boundary migration in metals Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Review Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-9438383","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":631915561,"identity":"2768bb05-7120-45d8-87aa-525d727d8a12","order_by":0,"name":"Mohammed Kamran Bhat","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Max-Planck-Institut for Sustainable Materials","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Mohammed","middleName":"Kamran","lastName":"Bhat","suffix":""},{"id":631915562,"identity":"de972b60-a28d-4372-8fc1-38eed8af4a8b","order_by":1,"name":"Anxin Ma","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Max-Planck-Institut for Sustainable 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