Copper atoms at the boundaries of metal grains can move in ways that actually increase their total surface area, defying the basic laws of thermodynamics.

Grain boundary migration in copper occurs at room temperature and increases the interface area between crystals. Classical physics dictates that materials always try to minimize their internal energy by reducing these surface areas. This research proves that inclination asymmetry allows the metal to move toward a more complex and high-energy state instead. This discovery forces a total rethink of how metals age and degrade in everything from microchips to bridge supports. Engineers will need to update their models for metal fatigue to account for this counterintuitive growth of internal boundaries. It suggests that common metals are far more dynamic and unstable than we previously believed.