Diffusion of Ag and Co in ultrafine-grained α-Ti deformed by equal channel angular pressing

Grain boundary diffusion of Co and Ag was investigated in coarse-grained and ultrafine-grained (UFG) alpha-Ti. Ultrafine grained Ti was produced by equal channel angular pressing (ECAP) and diffusion measurements were performed in a temperature interval where no significant grain growth occurred. Grain boundary diffusion of Co was found to be 1-2 orders of magnitude slower in UFG Ti, despite the attendant activation enthalpy being similar to that in coarse-grained alpha-Ti. By contrast, grain boundary diffusion of Ag occurred at a significantly higher rate in the ECAP-modified UFG Ti. This behaviour is associated with the specific diffusion mechanisms of Ag and Co: while Ag diffuses preferentially via substitutional sites, diffusion of Co is dominated by interstitial jumps. The existence of so-called non-equilibrium interfaces in UFG Ti, providing an increased density of traps for the interstitially diffusing Co and simultaneously enhancing substitutionally diffusion of Ag, is confirmed by the diffusion measurements. (C) 2011 American Institute of Physics. [doi:10.1063/1.3650230]