Ni-YSZ(001) solid-solid interfacial energy and orientation relationships

Equilibrated Ni particles were produced via solid-state dewetting of continuous Ni films deposited on the (001) surface of yttrium stabilized zirconia (YSZ). The solid-solid interface energy of the equilibrated Ni(111)-YSZ(001) interface was determined using Winterbottom analysis. Two low-index orientation relationships (ORs) were found using the selected area electron diffraction patterns in transmission electron microscopy: (Formula presented.) (OR 1 ) and (Formula presented.) (OR 2 ). However, many particles were found to deviate from these low-index ORs while maintaining the out-of-plane orientation, (Formula presented.). The interface energy was measured to be 2.5 ± 0.1 J/m 2 regardless of the in-plane orientation. The orientation distribution was determined using electron backscattered diffraction for Ni particles on both (111) and (001) YSZ substrates and was found to correlate well with the interface energies measured in a previous study for the Ni-YSZ(111) interface and in the present study for the Ni-YSZ(001) interface.