Fig. 3: In situ TEM tensile testing shows pure displacive deformation in a Pt NW.
From: Atomistic processes of surface-diffusion-induced abnormal softening in nanoscale metallic crystals
a-f A series of TEM images showing the plastic deformation process of a 5.9-nm-diameter under tensile loading along < 112 > -orientation at room temperature under a strain rate of ~ 10−3 s−1. The plasticity of Pt NW is controlled by repeated nucleation and emission of full dislocations, and each full dislocation activity resulted in the surface steps thickened by one atomic layer (b, d, f). Obvious surface atom diffusion was not observed during tensile loading causing that surface steps remained immobile. All scale bars are 2 nm. g Lattice stress versus applied strain curve during tensile loading; points (a–f) indicate the states of deformation shown in the TEM images of a–f. The error bars represent the variations of the measured lattice stresses at different locations of the nanowire.
