A Σ = 11, {332} bicrystal was grown by solidification with the aim of showing that the evolution of the grain-boundary structure depended upon the position of the sample in the bicrystal. Transmission electron microscopy was used to characterize the grain boundaries at the microscopic and nanoscopic scales. The detailed atomic structures of the exact {332} and asymmetrical {111}||{331} grain boundaries were investigated by comparing numerical calculations with high-resolution transmission electron microscopic images. It was found that there was perfect agreement between calculated and experimental images for the symmetrical {332} grain boundaries, at the head of the bicrystal. A high defect density in asymmetrical grain boundaries at the end of the bicrystal made comparison there less straightforward. It was noted that 2 complete periods of the calculated structure were visible in the experimental images. In order to approach an atomic description of {111}1||{hkl}2 asymmetrical tilt grain boundaries, it was suggested that the structural units which appeared in the corresponding symmetrical {111} and hkl tilt grain boundaries, respectively, should be used for each side.

High-Resolution Transmission Electron Microscopy Observations and Atomic Simulations of the Structures of Exact and Near-Σ = 11, {332} Tilt Grain Boundaries in Nickel. O.H.Duparc, S.Poulat, A.Larere, J.Thibault, L.Priester: Philosophical Magazine A, 2000, 80[4], 853-70