A new technique developed by researchers at the University of Cambridge has allowed them to reveal the structure of grain boundaries in materials at the atomic level. This research has the potential to revolutionize our understanding of the way materials behave at the nanoscale, allowing us to design materials with unprecedented properties.

The grain boundary is the interface between two grains of material in a polycrystalline structure. It is an area of great scientific interest, as it is where materials often exhibit their most interesting properties. By uncovering the structure of grain boundaries at the atomic level, researchers can better understand how materials behave, and use that knowledge to design new materials with enhanced performance.

The research team used a technique called atom probe tomography, which allowed them to visualize individual atoms in three dimensions. They were able to see which atoms were present at the grain boundary, and how they interacted with one another. This allowed them to gain a much more detailed understanding of the structure of the grain boundary.

This new research has opened up exciting possibilities for the design of new materials, as it has enabled us to gain a much more detailed understanding of the grain boundary than was previously possible. It has the potential to revolutionize the way we design materials with enhanced properties,

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source: Phys.org