When Grains Go Rogue: Rethinking Microstructure Growth in Materials Science
New experiments challenge decades-old models of grain growth, revealing a more chaotic—and fascinating—reality.
In the world of materials science, grain growth has long been considered a well-understood process. The prevailing theory posits that, over time, the tiny crystalline grains within a metal or ceramic coalesce and grow, driven by the reduction of total grain boundary area—a process akin to soap bubbles merging to minimize surface tension. This phenomenon, often described by the mean curvature flow model, suggests a smooth, predictable evolution of microstructures.