It was recalled that many systems, in which a liquid metal was in contact with a polycrystalline solid, exhibited deep liquid grooves where the grain boundary met the solid/liquid interface. In particular, liquid Ga quickly penetrated deep into the grain boundaries of Al; leading to intergranular fracture under very small stresses. A series of molecular dynamics simulations, of liquid Ga in contact with an Al bicrystal, was performed. The mechanism of liquid-metal embrittlement was identified and a new model for it was developed. There was excellent agreement between simulated and experimental data.

Molecular Dynamics Simulation of Ga Penetration along Grain Boundaries in Al - a Dislocation Climb Mechanism. H.S.Nam, D.J.Srolovitz: Physical Review Letters, 2007, 99[2], 025501