Both densification and grain growth are driven by the reduction of the interfacial area, kinetics of which depends strongly on the interface structure. Abnormal grain coarsening in the system of singular solid/liquid interface such as WC-Co alloys was explained by the growth mechanism of 2-dimensional nucleation. Based on this concept, the marked inhibition of coarsening of WC grains by VC addition can be approached by the increase in the step free energy, which increases the barrier of 2-dimensional nucleation. The activated sintering in tungsten powders can be approached by the interface structure change induced by the addition of a small amount of nickel.

In this contribution, we attempted a theoretical analysis on the validity of the widely-accepted idea that rough and singular surfaces can coexist in a crystal at equilibrium. By manipulating the Cahn and Hoffman capillarity vector, the conclusion that a crystal at equilibrium should be composed either of singular surfaces or of rough ones was reached.