Grain boundary and surface energies of fcc metals

Interfacial energies of five high-angle singular grain boundaries (GB's) in seven fcc metals---Ag, Al, Au, Cu, Ni, Pd, and Pt---are calculated employing lattice statics at 0 K using embedded-atom-method potentials. The results disagree with predictions of broken-bond models. The GB energies, however, exhibit a good linear relationship with the c₄₄ elastic constants of these elements. This implies the existence of a characteristic GB length serving as a proportionality coefficient between GB energy and c₄₄. The results for GB energies are compared with theoretical results on surface/vacuum interfacial energies for the same metals.