Grain growth kinetics and interfacial energies in nanocrystalline Ni-P alloys

Grain growth process in nanocrystalline Ni-P alloys was investigated by use of differential scanning calorimetry and x-ray diffraction. Two exothermal peaks which result from grain growth processes of Ni3P and Ni crystallites, respectively, have been detected upon heating the nanocrystalline samples at constant heating rates. Activation energies for the two processes of grain growth were calculated by means of the relationship of grain growth temperature and heating rate using the Kissinger equation. Average interfacial energies of Ni3P/Ni3P grain boundary and Ni3P/Ni boundary were determined from the heat released during grain growth.