Spectral Analysis of Light Interstitial Segregation Energies in Ni: The Role of Local Cr Coordination for Boron and Carbon

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Main Authors: Doležal, Tyler D., Freitas, Rodrigo, Li, Ju
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
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author Doležal, Tyler D.
Freitas, Rodrigo
Li, Ju
author_facet Doležal, Tyler D.
Freitas, Rodrigo
Li, Ju
contents Understanding interstitial segregation in chemically complex alloys requires accounting for chemical and structural heterogeneity of interfaces, motivating approaches that move beyond scalar descriptors to capture the full spatial and compositional spectra of segregation behavior. Here, we introduce a spectral segregation framework that maps distributions of segregation energies for light interstitials in Ni as a function of local Cr coordination. Boron exhibits a broad, rugged energy spectrum with significant positional flexibility whereas carbon remains confined to a narrow spectrum with minimal displacement. At the free surface, Cr-rich coordination destabilizes both interstitials (e.g., positive segregation energies), in sharp contrast to the stabilizing role of Cr at the GB. This inversion establishes a natural segregation gradient that drives interstitials away from undercoordinated internal surfaces and toward GBs. These results underscore the limitations of single-valued segregation descriptors and demonstrate how a distributional approach reveals the mechanistic origins of interstitial--interface interactions in chemically heterogeneous alloys.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2509_12447
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Spectral Analysis of Light Interstitial Segregation Energies in Ni: The Role of Local Cr Coordination for Boron and Carbon
Doležal, Tyler D.
Freitas, Rodrigo
Li, Ju
Materials Science
Applied Physics
Understanding interstitial segregation in chemically complex alloys requires accounting for chemical and structural heterogeneity of interfaces, motivating approaches that move beyond scalar descriptors to capture the full spatial and compositional spectra of segregation behavior. Here, we introduce a spectral segregation framework that maps distributions of segregation energies for light interstitials in Ni as a function of local Cr coordination. Boron exhibits a broad, rugged energy spectrum with significant positional flexibility whereas carbon remains confined to a narrow spectrum with minimal displacement. At the free surface, Cr-rich coordination destabilizes both interstitials (e.g., positive segregation energies), in sharp contrast to the stabilizing role of Cr at the GB. This inversion establishes a natural segregation gradient that drives interstitials away from undercoordinated internal surfaces and toward GBs. These results underscore the limitations of single-valued segregation descriptors and demonstrate how a distributional approach reveals the mechanistic origins of interstitial--interface interactions in chemically heterogeneous alloys.
title Spectral Analysis of Light Interstitial Segregation Energies in Ni: The Role of Local Cr Coordination for Boron and Carbon
topic Materials Science
Applied Physics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2509.12447