Specificity and embrittling mechanism of liquid metal embrittlement; First-principles calculations

Yamaguchi, Masatake   

The tendency of solid metal in contact with a liquid metal to undergo brittle fracture is called liquid metal embrittlement. The degree of embrittlement varies depending on the liquid-solid metal combination, called the element selectivity (specificity) of liquid metal embrittlement. We have added further explanations to a published paper that discusses the energetics of embrittlement-prone combinations and possible embrittling mechanisms based on energetic considerations from first-principles calculations.