Grain Boundary Engineering in Metallic Materials
A special issue of Crystals (ISSN 2073-4352). This special issue belongs to the section "Crystalline Metals and Alloys".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 10 October 2026 | Viewed by 245
Special Issue Editors
Interests: 4D scanning transmission electron microscopy (4DSTEM) and quasi-6D crystallographic characterization via 4DSTEM tomography; atom probe tomography (APT) characterization; correlative characterization using transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and atom probe tomography (APT); thermodynamics and phase diagram calculations; vacancy field simulations in aluminum alloys
Interests: elaboration, microstructures and properties of superalloys and dental alloys (mechanical behavior, oxidation and corrosion)
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Improving the performance and reliability of metallic materials through interface engineering has become a powerful strategy for advancing structural and energy-related applications. Over the past few decades, this field has progressed rapidly, driven by breakthroughs in high-dimensional characterization techniques and correlative microscopy methods. Beyond traditional bulk microstructure optimization, interfaces—such as metallic grain boundaries and metal–oxide interfaces—play a decisive role in governing mechanical behavior, chemical stability, and functional performance. These interfaces often exhibit complex segregation phenomena, where solute atoms (minor alloying or impurity elements dissolved in the host materials) redistribute non-uniformly in response to the local crystal structure, chemistry, and thermodynamic driving forces. Such interfacial segregation can induce pronounced changes in structure and properties, particularly in fine-grained and nanostructured metallic systems. Grain boundary engineering, combined with controlled solute segregation, has, therefore, emerged as an effective pathway to tailor interfacial states and enhance material performance. However, a comprehensive understanding of segregation behavior across the full grain boundary, as well as at metal–oxide interfaces, remains limited. Addressing these challenges requires advanced experimental approaches capable of resolving interfacial structure, chemistry, and crystallography in three dimensions. Recent developments in four-dimensional scanning transmission electron microscopy (4D-STEM) tomography, atom probe tomography, and three-dimensional diffraction techniques offer unprecedented opportunities to directly probe interfacial segregation and structural complexity at the atomic scale. By integrating these techniques within a correlative framework, it is possible to establish quantitative links between interfacial structure, chemistry, and macroscopic properties. This research aims to deepen our fundamental understanding of interface-controlled phenomena and provide new design principles for grain boundary engineering in advanced metallic materials.
Dr. Xinren Chen
Guest Editor Assistant
Dr. Patrice Berthod
Guest Editor
Manuscript Submission Information
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Keywords
- 4DSTEM tomography
- atom probe tomography
- 3D diffraction
- grain boundary engineering
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