A direct optical method for the study of grain boundary melting

TL;DR

This paper introduces an optical reflection method to study grain boundary melting in polycrystalline materials, demonstrated on ice bicrystals, allowing precise control and measurement of impurities, temperature, and boundary disorder.

Contribution

It presents a novel optical technique for directly measuring disorder at grain boundaries in transparent materials, applicable across various substances.

Findings

Effective measurement of grain boundary disorder in ice bicrystals.

Controlled impurity and temperature conditions near melting point.

Method applicable to a wide range of optically transparent materials.

Abstract

The structure and evolution of grain boundaries underlies the nature of polycrystalline materials. Here we describe an experimental apparatus and light reflection technique for measuring disorder at grain boundaries in optically clear material, in thermodynamic equilibrium. The approach is demonstrated on ice bicrystals. Crystallographic orientation is measured for each ice sample. The type and concentration of impurity in the liquid can be controlled and the temperature can be continuously recorded and controlled over a range near the melting point. The general methodology is appropriate for a wide variety of materials.