Analysis on Equilibrium Shape of Nano-precipitations at Grain Boundaries in Bismuth Doped Strontium Titanate Ceramics

Grain boundary structures in Bi-doped strontium titanate ceramics were characterized by transmission electron microscope (TEM). Discontinuous nano-precipitations (NPs), whose sizes ranged from ten to over one hundred nanometers, were observed aligning along some grain boundaries. The composition of NP was detected as pure bismuth by spatial difference energy dispersive X-ray spectra (EDXS) method. Different shapes with facets were possessed by the NPs, indicating the anisotropy of NPs. The Cahn-Hoffman ξ-vector construction based on anisotropic surfaces was successfully applied to qualitatively describe the equilibrium shape of NP, which can be regarded as the intersection of two Wulff shapes at the grain boundaries. The distance between the two Wulff shapes centers is equal to the grain boundary energy. The Wulff shape itself, orientation of neighboring grains, grain boundary energy and grain boundary twist are considered as the important factors to affect the equilibrium shape of NP. Besides these, the size of NP will also influence the faceting of NP. This work is helpful to deepen the understanding of the microstructure evolvement during the sintering.