Close-ups of grain boundaries reveal how sulfur impurities make nickel brittle

Engineers have shed new light on a scientific mystery regarding the atomic-level mechanism of the sulfur embrittlement of nickel, a classic problem that has puzzled the scientific community for nearly a century. The discovery also enriches fundamental understanding of general grain boundaries that often control the mechanical and physical properties of polycrystalline materials.

from Engineering News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/2uEuIUT