Observation of giant diffusivity along dislocation cores

Diffusion of atoms in a crystalline lattice is a thermally activated process that can be strongly accelerated by defects such as grain boundaries or dislocations. When carried by dislocations, this elemental mechanism is known as "pipe diffusion." Pipe diffusion has been used to explain abnormal diffusion, Cottrell atmospheres, and dislocation-precipitate interactions during creep, although this rests more on conjecture than on direct demonstration. The motion of dislocations between silicon nanoprecipitates in an aluminum thin film was recently observed and controlled via in situ transmission electron microscopy. We observed the pipe diffusion phenomenon and measured the diffusivity along a single dislocation line. It is found that dislocations accelerate the diffusion of impurities by almost three orders of magnitude as compared with bulk diffusion.     

Real-space observation of helical spin order

Helical spin order in magnetic materials has been investigated only in reciprocal space. We visualized the helical spin order and dynamics in a metal silicide in real space by means of Lorentz electron microscopy. The real space of the helical spin order proves to be much richer than that expected from the averaged structure; it exhibits a variety of magnetic defects similar to atomic dislocations in the crystal lattice. The application of magnetic fields allows us to directly observe the deformation processes of the helical spin order accompanied by nucleation, movement, and annihilation of the magnetic defects.     

Dislocation avalanches, strain bursts, and the problem of plastic forming at the micrometer scale

Under stress, many crystalline materials exhibit irreversible plastic deformation caused by the motion of lattice dislocations. In plastically deformed microcrystals, internal dislocation avalanches lead to jumps in the stress-strain curves (strain bursts), whereas in macroscopic samples plasticity appears as a smooth process. By combining three-dimensional simulations of the dynamics of interacting dislocations with statistical analysis of the corresponding deformation behavior, we determined the distribution of strain changes during dislocation avalanches and established its dependence on microcrystal size. Our results suggest that for sample dimensions on the micrometer and submicrometer scale, large strain fluctuations may make it difficult to control the resulting shape in a plastic-forming process.     

Atomic-level observation of disclination dipoles in mechanically milled, nanocrystalline Fe

Plastic deformation of materials occurs by the motion of defects known as dislocations and disclinations. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy was used to directly reveal the individual dislocations that constitute partial disclination dipoles in nanocrystalline, body-centered cubic iron that had undergone severe plastic deformation by mechanical milling. The mechanisms by which the formation and migration of such partial disclination dipoles during deformation allow crystalline solids to fragment and rotate at the nanometer level are described. Such rearrangements are important basic phenomena that occur during material deformation, and hence, they may be critical in the formation of nanocrystalline metals by mechanical milling and other deformation processes.     

Visualization of dislocation dynamics in colloidal crystals

The dominant mechanism for creating large irreversible strain in atomic crystals is the motion of dislocations, a class of line defects in the crystalline lattice. Here we show that the motion of dislocations can also be observed in strained colloidal crystals, allowing detailed investigation of their topology and propagation. We describe a laser diffraction microscopy setup used to study the growth and structure of misfit dislocations in colloidal crystalline films. Complementary microscopic information at the single-particle level is obtained with a laser scanning confocal microscope. The combination of these two techniques enables us to study dislocations over a range of length scales, allowing us to determine important parameters of misfit dislocations such as critical film thickness, dislocation density, Burgers vector, and lattice resistance to dislocation motion. We identify the observed dislocations as Shockley partials that bound stacking faults of vanishing energy. Remarkably, we find that even on the scale of a few lattice vectors, the dislocation behavior is well described by the continuum approach commonly used to describe dislocations in atomic crystals.     

Dislocation-driven deformations in graphene

The movement of dislocations in a crystal is the key mechanism for plastic deformation in all materials. Studies of dislocations have focused on three-dimensional materials, and there is little experimental evidence regarding the dynamics of dislocations and their impact at the atomic level on the lattice structure of graphene. We studied the dynamics of dislocation pairs in graphene, recorded with single-atom sensitivity. We examined stepwise dislocation movement along the zig-zag lattice direction mediated either by a single bond rotation or through the loss of two carbon atoms. The strain fields were determined, showing how dislocations deform graphene by elongation and compression of C-C bonds, shear, and lattice rotations.     

Controlling factors for the brittle-to-ductile transition in tungsten single crystals

Materials performance in structural applications is often restricted by a transition from ductile response to brittle fracture with decreasing temperature. This transition is currently viewed as being controlled either by dislocation mobility or by the nucleation of dislocations. Fracture experiments on tungsten single crystals reported here provide evidence for the importance of dislocation nucleation for the fracture toughness in the semibrittle regime. However, it is shown that the transition itself, in general, is controlled by dislocation mobility rather than by nucleation.     

Observations of the liquid-crystal analog of the abrikosov phase

Freeze-fracture transmission electron micrographs of the smectic A(*) phase confirm the twist grain boundary model of Renn and Lubensky. The fracture surface has an undulating structure with a 0.5-micrometer helical pitch parallel to 4.1-nanometer smectic layers. The layers are disrupted by a lattice of screw dislocations oriented normal to the helical axis. Optical diffraction shows that rotation of smectic blocks occurs in discrete steps of about 17 degrees ; hence, the screw dislocations are 14 to 15 nanometers apart and the grain boundaries are 24 nanometers apart. These observations show that the SmA(*) phase is the liquid-crystal analog of the Abrikosov phase in superconductors.     

纳米单晶与多晶铜薄膜力学行为的数值模拟研究

通过对不同温度下单晶薄膜的拉伸性能的分子动力学模拟,从微观角度揭示了温度效应对材料性能的影响. 结果表明温度效应对材料的变形机理影响很大.0K温度下由于缺乏热激活软化的影响, 粒子运动所受到的阻碍较大, 薄膜的强度较高, 塑性变形主要来自于粒子的短程滑移.温度升高,粒子的热运动加剧,屈服强度降低, 塑性变形将主要来自于大范围的位错长程扩展.多晶薄膜的模拟结果表明, 虽然其晶粒形状较为特殊, 但是它仍然遵循反Hall-Petch关系.在模拟过程中,侧向应力最大值比拉伸方向应力的最大值滞后出现.位错只会从晶界产生并向晶粒内部传播,晶粒间界滑移是多晶薄膜塑性变形的主要来源.     

New technique for decorating dislocations in olivine

Oxidation of iron-rich olivine induced in the laboratory causes preferential precipitation on lattice dislocations. This simple dislocation decoration technique greatly reduces the cost and time involved in surveying the dislocation structures of deformed olivine crystals and opens the way to a more thorough understanding of the deformation of this important geologic material.     

Ultrahigh strength in nanocrystalline materials under shock loading

Molecular dynamics simulations of nanocrystalline copper under shock loading show an unexpected ultrahigh strength behind the shock front, with values up to twice those at low pressure. Partial and perfect dislocations, twinning, and debris from dislocation interactions are found behind the shock front. Results are interpreted in terms of the pressure dependence of both deformation mechanisms active at these grain sizes, namely dislocation-based plasticity and grain boundary sliding. These simulations, together with new shock experiments on nanocrystalline nickel, raise the possibility of achieving ultrahard materials during and after shock loading.     

Formation and subdivision of deformation structures during plastic deformation

During plastic deformation of metals and alloys, dislocations arrange in ordered patterns. How and when these self-organization processes take place have remained elusive, because in situ observations have not been feasible. We present an x-ray diffraction method that provided data on the dynamics of individual, deeply embedded dislocation structures. During tensile deformation of pure copper, dislocation-free regions were identified. They showed an unexpected intermittent dynamics, for example, appearing and disappearing with proceeding deformation and even displaying transient splitting behavior. Insight into these processes is relevant for an understanding of the strength and work-hardening of deformed materials.     

Deformation twinning in nanocrystalline aluminum

We report transmission electron microscope observations that provide evidence of deformation twinning in plastically deformed nanocrystalline aluminum. The presence of these twins is directly related to the nanocrystalline structure, because they are not observed in coarse-grained pure aluminum. We propose a dislocation-based model to explain the preference for deformation twins and stacking faults in nanocrystalline materials. These results underscore a transition from deformation mechanisms controlled by normal slip to those controlled by partial dislocation activity when grain size decreases to tens of nanometers, and they have implications for interpreting the unusual mechanical behavior of nanocrystalline materials.     

The importance of threading dislocations on the motion of domain boundaries in thin films

Thin films often present domain structures whose detailed evolution is a subject of debate. We analyze the evolution of copper films, which contain both rotational and stacking domains, on ruthenium. Real-time observation by low-energy electron microscopy shows that the stacking domains evolve in a seemingly complex way. Not only do the stacking boundaries move in preferred directions, but their motion is extremely uneven and they become stuck when they reach rotational boundaries. We show that this behavior occurs because the stacking-boundary motion is impeded by threading dislocations. This study underscores how the coarse-scale evolution of thin films can be controlled by defects.     

Premelting at defects within bulk colloidal crystals

Premelting is the localized loss of crystalline order at surfaces and defects at temperatures below the bulk melting transition. It can be thought of as the nucleation of the melting process. Premelting has been observed at the surfaces of crystals but not within. We report observations of premelting at grain boundaries and dislocations within bulk colloidal crystals using real-time video microscopy. The crystals are equilibrium close-packed, three-dimensional colloidal structures made from thermally responsive microgel spheres. Particle tracking reveals increased disorder in crystalline regions bordering defects, the amount of which depends on the type of defect, distance from the defect, and particle volume fraction. Our observations suggest that interfacial free energy is the crucial parameter for premelting in colloidal and atomic-scale crystals.     

Superplastic extensibility of nanocrystalline copper at room temperature

A bulk nanocrystalline (nc) pure copper with high purity and high density was synthesized by electrodeposition. An extreme extensibility (elongation exceeds 5000%) without a strain hardening effect was observed when the nc copper specimen was rolled at room temperature. Microstructure analysis suggests that the superplastic extensibility of the nc copper originates from a deformation mechanism dominated by grain boundary activities rather than lattice dislocation, which is also supported by tensile creep studies at room temperature. This behavior demonstrates new possibilities for scientific and technological advancements with nc materials.     

Ice nucleation by solid solutions of silver-copper iodide

The lattice misfit between ice and silver iodide can be reduced by partial substitution of copper atoms for silver atoms in the silver iodide lattice. The best crystal match is obtained with a composition of CuI-3AgI, which corresponds to the most active silver-copper iodide nucleation catalyst.     

Dimples on nanocrystalline fracture surfaces as evidence for shear plane formation

Tensile experiments of fully dense nanocrystalline structures with a mean grain size of less than 100 nanometers demonstrate a considerable increase in hardness but a remarkable drop in elongation-to-failure, indicating brittle behavior. However, dimple structures are often observed at the fracture surface, indicating some type of ductile fracture mechanism. Guided by large-scale atomistic simulations, we propose that these dimple structures result from local shear planes formed around clustered grains that, because of their particular misorientation, cannot participate in the grain boundary accommodation processes necessary to sustain plastic deformation. This raises the expectation that general high-angle grain boundaries are necessary for good ductility.     

Heterogeneous and epitaxial nucleation of protein crystals on mineral surfaces

Fifty different mineral samples were tested as potential heterogeneous or epitaxial nucleants for four commonly crystallized proteins. It was found, by conventional protein crystallization techniques, that for each protein there was a set of mineral substrates that promoted nucleation of crystals at lower critical levels of supersaturation than required for spontaneous growth. Numerous examples, involving all four proteins, were observed of modification of crystal habit and, in some cases, unit cell properties promoted by the presence of the mineral nucleants. In at least one case, the growth of lysozyme on the mineral apophyllite, it was shown by lattice analysis and x-ray diffraction that the nucleation and growth of the protein crystal on the mineral was likely to involve a direct lattice match.