Grain boundary mechanisms of misfit stress relaxation in nanocrystalline films and coatings

An overview of theoretical models is presented which describe specific mechanisms of internal stress relaxation in nanocrystalline films and coatings. A particular attention is devoted to such mechanisms as interfacial sliding, athermal grain boundary migration and grain boundary diffusional creep. It is shown that these specific relaxation mechanisms can effectively release, in part, misfit stresses in nanocrystalline films and coatings.