Chemistry of grain boundary environments in nanocrystalline Al 7075

Positron annihilation spectroscopy in two variants (coincidence Doppler-broadening CDB and lifetime spectroscopy LT) was used for the characterisation of severely deformed nanocrystalline 7075 Al alloy, with specific attention to the distribution of solute in the proximity of grain boundaries. The 7075 samples were deformed via the high pressure torsion (HPT) technique after solution treatment and quenching. The grain size at the end of the deformation was sub 100 nm. The deformed samples have undergone 3 months of natural ageing post-processing. CDB and LT measurements consistently indicate that the fraction of trapped positrons in these samples is near to 90%. The analysis of CDB data shows that the environment of the positron traps is enriched with solute up to 50 at.%, nearly evenly divided between Mg and transition metals (Zn and Cu). The CDB results indicate an enhancement of solute concentration at grain boundaries associated with HPT deformation.