Nucleation of Dislocations in 3.9 nm Nanocrystals at High Pressure

Abhinav Parakh, Sangryun Lee, K. Anika Harkins, Mehrdad T. Kiani, David Doan, Martin Kunz, Andrew Doran, Lindsey A. Hanson, Seunghwa Ryu, X. Wendy Gu

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

17 Scopus citations

Abstract

As circuitry approaches single nanometer length scales, it has become important to predict the stability of single nanometer-sized metals. The behavior of metals at larger scales can be predicted based on the behavior of dislocations, but it is unclear if dislocations can form and be sustained at single nanometer dimensions. Here, we report the formation of dislocations within individual 3.9 nm Au nanocrystals under nonhydrostatic pressure in a diamond anvil cell. We used a combination of X-ray diffraction, optical absorbance spectroscopy, and molecular dynamics simulation to characterize the defects that are formed, which were found to be surface-nucleated partial dislocations. These results indicate that dislocations are still active at single nanometer length scales and can lead to permanent plasticity.

Original languageEnglish
Article number106104
JournalPhysical Review Letters
Volume124
Issue number10
DOIs
StatePublished - 13 Mar 2020

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© 2020 American Physical Society.

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