Strength of Graphene-Coated Ni Bi-Crystals: A Molecular Dynamics Nano-Indentation Study

Nanoindentation simulations are performed for a Ni(111) bi-crystal, in which the grain boundary is coated by a graphene layer. We study both a weak and a strong interface, realized by a 30 ∘ and a 60 ∘ twist boundary, respectively, and compare our results for the composite also with those of an elemental Ni bi-crystal. We find hardening of the elemental Ni when a strong, i.e., low-energy, grain boundary is introduced, and softening for a weak grain boundary. For the strong grain boundary, the interface barrier strength felt by dislocations upon passing the interface is responsible for the hardening; for the weak grain boundary, confinement of the dislocations results in the weakening. For the Ni-graphene composite, we find in all cases a weakening influence that is caused by the graphene blocking the passage of dislocations and absorbing them. In addition, interface failure occurs when the indenter reaches the graphene, again weakening the composite structure.

Bifurcations analysis of the twist-Fréedericksz transition in a nematic liquid-crystal cell with pre-twist boundary conditions: the asymmetric case

In the paper, Bifurcation analysis of the twist-Fréedericksz transition in a nematic liquid-crystal cell with pre-twist boundary conditions (2009 Eur. J. Appl. Math.20, 269–287) by da Costa et al. the twist-Fréedericksz transition in a nematic liquid-crystal one-dimensional cell of lenght L was studied, imposing an antisymmetric net twist Dirichlet condition at the cell boundaries. In the present paper, we extend that study to the more general case of net twist Dirichlet conditions without any kind of symmetry restrictions. We use phase-plane analysis tools and appropriately defined time maps to obtain the bifurcation diagrams of the model when L is the bifurcation parameter, and related these diagrams with the one in the antisymmetric situation. The stability of the bifurcating solutions is investigated by applying the method of Maginu (1978 J. Math. Anal. Appl.63, 224–243).

Grain Boundary Dynamics under an Applied Stress

The response of various structurally different planar grain boundaries in aluminum bicrystals to an applied stress was experimentally investigated. Stress induced boundary migration was observed to be coupled to a tangential translation of the grains for symmetrical and asymmetrical and tilt boundaries with both low and high misorientation angles. The activation enthalpy of high angle boundary migration was found to vary non-monotonously with misorientation angle, whereas for low angle boundaries the migration activation enthalpy was virtually the same. The Σ7 CSL boundaries in bicrystals of different geometry were observed to move under an applied stress, but their migration did not produce shear. These crystallographically equivalent boundaries, however, were found to behave different with respect to migration rate and its temperature dependence. The stress driven migration of the mixed tilt-twist boundary was observed to be accompanied by both the translation of adjacent grains parallel to the boundary plane and their rotation around the boundary plane normal. This behavior was interpreted in terms of the structure of the investigated tilt-twist boundary.