Grain incompatibility determines the local structure of amorphous grain boundary complexions

Amorphous grain boundary complexions lack long-range crystalline order but are not featureless, as distinct gradients in structural short-range have been reported through their thickness. In this work, we test the hypothesis that distribution of is determined by confining crystals using atomistic simulations both Cu-Zr bicrystals and a random polycrystal. Voronoi polyhedra with structures similar to perfect face-centered cubic serve signatures high only found at amorphous-crystalline transition regions. The density ordered motifs within specific region be directly orientation symmetry which touches it, rather incompatibility between two grains. Ordered inversely related incompatibility, meaning large incompatibilities lead less region. finding entire grain-film-grain system must considered understand local structure unequivocally demonstrates amorphous simply collection independent phases happen nucleate boundary. Rather, an complexion single entity finds equilibrium configuration.