Revealing thermally-activated nucleation pathways of diffusionless solid-to-solid transition

Minhuan Li, Zhengyuan Yue, Yanshuang Chen, Hua Tong, Hajime Tanaka () and Peng Tan ()
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Minhuan Li: State Key Laboratory of Surface Physics and Department of Physics, Fudan University
Zhengyuan Yue: State Key Laboratory of Surface Physics and Department of Physics, Fudan University
Yanshuang Chen: State Key Laboratory of Surface Physics and Department of Physics, Fudan University
Hua Tong: School of Physics and Astronomy, Shanghai Jiao Tong University
Hajime Tanaka: Department of Fundamental Engineering, Institute of Industrial Science, University of Tokyo
Peng Tan: State Key Laboratory of Surface Physics and Department of Physics, Fudan University

Nature Communications, 2021, vol. 12, issue 1, 1-13

Abstract: Abstract Solid-to-solid transitions usually occur via athermal nucleation pathways on pre-existing defects due to immense strain energy. However, the extent to which athermal nucleation persists under low strain energy comparable to the interface energy, and whether thermally-activated nucleation is still possible are mostly unknown. To address these questions, the microscopic observation of the transformation dynamics is a prerequisite. Using a charged colloidal system that allows the triggering of an fcc-to-bcc transition while enabling in-situ single-particle-level observation, we experimentally find both athermal and thermally-activated pathways controlled by the softness of the parent crystal. In particular, we reveal three new transition pathways: ingrain homogeneous nucleation driven by spontaneous dislocation generation, heterogeneous nucleation assisted by premelting grain boundaries, and wall-assisted growth. Our findings reveal the physical principles behind the system-dependent pathway selection and shed light on the control of solid-to-solid transitions through the parent phase’s softness and defect landscape.

Date: 2021
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-24256-9

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