What is the Difference Between Nanocrystalline and Polycrystalline?

The main difference between nanocrystalline and polycrystalline materials lies in the size of their crystal grains. Here are the key distinctions between the two:

• Nanocrystalline materials have crystal grains with dimensions in the nanometer scale, typically below 100 nm. These materials fill the gap between amorphous materials and coarse-grained materials, having no long-range order. Nanocrystalline materials often exhibit exceptional mechanical properties due to the high volume fraction of grain boundaries.
• Polycrystalline materials have grain sizes that are not limited, meaning they can range from a few nanometers to several millimeters. These materials have a more conventional coarse-grained structure and may exhibit different mechanical properties compared to nanocrystalline materials.

In summary, the primary difference between nanocrystalline and polycrystalline materials is the size of their crystal grains, with nanocrystalline materials having much smaller grains in the nanometer scale.

Comparative Table: Nanocrystalline vs Polycrystalline

The main difference between nanocrystalline and polycrystalline materials lies in the size of their crystal grains. Here is a comparison table highlighting the differences:

In summary, nanocrystalline materials contain crystal grains with dimensions below 100 nm, while polycrystalline materials have larger crystal grains. Nanocrystalline materials tend to fill the gap between amorphous materials and have no long-range order, whereas polycrystalline materials are entirely filled by crystal grains with more consistent and predictable properties.