Discrete plasticity in sub-10-nm-sized gold crystals

He Zheng, Ajing Cao, Christopher R. Weinberger, Jian Yu Huang (), Kui Du, Jianbo Wang, Yanyun Ma, Younan Xia and Scott X. Mao ()
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He Zheng: University of Pittsburgh
Ajing Cao: Northwestern University
Christopher R. Weinberger: Materials Science and Engineering Center, Sandia National Laboratories
Jian Yu Huang: Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies, Sandia National Laboratories
Kui Du: Shenyang National Laboratory for Materials Science, Institute of Metal Research, CAS
Jianbo Wang: School of Physics and Technology, Center for Electron Microscopy and MOE Key Laboratory of Artificial Micro- and Nano-structures, Wuhan University
Yanyun Ma: Washington University
Younan Xia: Washington University
Scott X. Mao: University of Pittsburgh

Nature Communications, 2010, vol. 1, issue 1, 1-8

Abstract: Abstract Although deformation processes in submicron-sized metallic crystals are well documented, the direct observation of deformation mechanisms in crystals with dimensions below the sub-10-nm range is currently lacking. Here, through in situ high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) observations, we show that (1) in sharp contrast to what happens in bulk materials, in which plasticity is mediated by dislocation emission from Frank-Read sources and multiplication, partial dislocations emitted from free surfaces dominate the deformation of gold (Au) nanocrystals; (2) the crystallographic orientation (Schmid factor) is not the only factor in determining the deformation mechanism of nanometre-sized Au; and (3) the Au nanocrystal exhibits a phase transformation from a face-centered cubic to a body-centered tetragonal structure after failure. These findings provide direct experimental evidence for the vast amount of theoretical modelling on the deformation mechanisms of nanomaterials that have appeared in recent years.

Date: 2010
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DOI: 10.1038/ncomms1149

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