Thermal stability of highly nanotwinned copper: The role of grain boundaries and texture

• Published in: Journal of materials research Vol. 27; no. 24; pp. 3049 - 3057
• Main Authors: Zhao, Yifu, Furnish, Timothy Allen, Kassner, Michael Ernest, Hodge, Andrea Maria
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York, USA Cambridge University Press 28.12.2012; Springer International Publishing; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Achievement tests; Applied and Technical Physics; Biomaterials; BOUNDARIES; Copper; Grain boundaries; Grain growth; Grain size; GRAIN SIZE AND SHAPE; HEAT TREATING; Heat treatment; Inorganic Chemistry; Materials Engineering; Materials research; Materials Science; Microstructure; MICROSTRUCTURES; Morphology; Nanostructure; Nanotechnology; Silicon wafers; Software; Surface layer; Temperature; Texture; TEXTURES; THERMAL STABILITY; TWINNING MECHANISMS; grain boundaries; annealing; nanostructure
• ISSN: 0884-2914; 2044-5326
• DOI: 10.1557/jmr.2012.376

To study the effect of nanotwins on thermal stability, a comprehensive characterization study was performed on two types of ultrafine grained (UFG) copper samples, with and without nanotwins. The two samples were sequentially heat-treated at elevated temperatures, and the grain size, grain boundary character, and texture were characterized after each heat treatment. The as-prepared nanotwinned (nt) copper foil had an average columnar grain size of ∼700 nm with a high density of coherent twin boundaries (CTBs) (twin thickness, ∼40 nm), which remained stable up to 300 °C. In contrast, the other UFG sample had few CTBs, and rapid grain growth was observed at 200 °C. The thermal stability of nt copper is discussed with respect to the presence of the low energy nanotwins, triple junctions between the twins and columnar grains, texture and grain growth.