Grain boundary segregation in steels: Towards engineering the design of internal interfaces

TL;DR

This paper reviews how solute segregation at grain boundaries in steels affects their properties, emphasizing experimental techniques, adsorption models, and potential applications in material design.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive overview of experimental methods, adsorption isotherms, and current challenges in studying grain boundary segregation in steels.

Findings

Summarizes experimental techniques like APT and EBSD-APT.

Discusses adsorption isotherms used for segregation quantification.

Highlights challenges and potential applications in steel design.

Abstract

Solute decoration at grain boundaries (GB) leads to a number of phenomenon such as changes in interface structure,mobility,cohesion etc.Recent experimental investigations on interfacial segregation in steels are based on microstructural characterisation using two correlative methodologies, namely,Transmission Electron Microscopy-Atom Probe Tomography (APT) and Electron Backscatter Diffraction-APT.Considering the growing interest in this avenue,the present review is aimed at addressing the common adsorption isotherms used for quantifying interfacial segregation and providing an overview of the present state of experimental research in the area of GB segregation in steels.The areas where an understanding of GB segregation may be utilised have also been highlighted with a focus on the experimental challenges associated with understanding GB segregation in steels.