Atomistics of fracture

摘要: It is now more than 100 years since certain detrimental effects on the ductility of iron were first associated with presence hydrogen. Not only hydrogen embrittlement still a major industri al problem, but it safe to say that in mechanistic sense we do not know what (but nitrogen or oxygen, for example) does an atomic scale induce this degradation. The same applies other examples environmentally-induced fracture: about ubiquitous chloride ion induces premature catastrophic fracture (stress corrosion cracking) ordinarily ductile austenitic stainless steels? Why, moreover, are halide ions troublesome nitrate sulfate anions deleterious such Likewise, why some solid metals embrit tled catastrophically by liquid (liquid metal tlement) - copper and aluminum, example, embrittled mercury. In short, despite all may materials science mechanics macroscopic scale, little atomistics absence environmental interactions even less when phe nomena as those described above involved. On hand, interesting note physical chemists surface also have interests kinds occur nickel platinum used, catalysts chemical reactions."