Mechanism for diffusion induced grain boundary migration

Grain boundaries are found to migrate under certain conditions when solute atoms are diffused along them. This phenomenon, termed diffusion induced grain boundary migration (DIGM), has now been found in six systems. The observed phenomenon and empirical data are used to discard certain concepts for the driving force and the mechanism. A mechanism is proposed in which differences in the diffusion coefficients of the diffusing species along the grain boundary cause a self-sustaining climb of grain boundary dislocations and motion of their associated grain boundary steps