Grain boundary-mediated plasticity accommodating the cracking process in nanograined gold: In situ observations and simulations

XS Yang and SQ Yuan and H Fu and YJ Wang, SCRIPTA MATERIALIA, 194, 113693 (2021).

DOI: 10.1016/j.scriptamat.2020.113693

In this study, the underlying atomic-scale plastic deformation mechanisms responsible for the crack propagation process in nanograined gold thin film with an average grain size of similar to 10 nm (ranging from similar to 2 nm to similar to 22 nm) is investigated by the in situ high-resolution transmission electron microscope observations (i.e., a homemade device with atomic force microscope inside transmission electron microscope) and atomistic molecular dynamic simulations. The real-time results based on the experimental observations and simulations uncover consistently that the crack propagation in nanograined gold thin film is accommodated by the grain boundary-mediated plasticity, which may result in the grain coalescence between neighboring nanograins. Furthermore, we find that the grain boundary-mediated plasticity is grain size-dependent, i.e., GB dislocation activities-induced grain rotation in relative larger grains and GB migration in relative smaller grains in comparison with a critical grain size of similar to 10 nm. (C) 2020 Acta Materialia Inc. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

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