Visualization and validation of twin nucleation and early-stage growth in magnesium

The abrupt occurrence of twinning when Mg is deformed leads to a highly anisotropic response, making it too unreliable for structural use and too unpredictable for observation. Here, we describe an in-situ transmission electron microscopy experiment on Mg crystals with strategically designed geometries for visualization of a long-proposed but unverified twinning mechanism. Combining with atomistic simulations and topological analysis, we conclude that twin nucleation occurs through a pure-shuffle mechanism that requires prismatic-basal transformations. Also, we verified a crystal geometry dependent twin growth mechanism, that is the early-stage growth associated with instability of plasticity flow, which can be dominated either by slower movement of prismatic-basal boundary steps, or by faster glide-shuffle along the twinning plane. The fundamental understanding of twinning provides a pathway to understand deformation from a scientific standpoint and the microstructure design principles to engineer metals with enhanced behavior from a technological standpoint.

Visualization and Validation of Twin Nucleation and Early-stage Growth in Magnesium

The abrupt occurrence of twinning when Mg is deformed leads to a highly anisotropic response, making it too unreliable for structural use and too unpredictable for observation. Here, we describe an in-situ transmission electron microscopy experiment on Mg crystals with strategically designed geometries for visualization of a long-proposed but unverified twinning mechanism. Combining with atomistic simulations and topological analysis, we conclude that twin nucleation occurs through a pure-shuffle mechanism that requires prismatic-basal transformations. Also, we verified a crystal geometry dependent twin growth mechanism, that is the early-stage growth associated with instability of plasticity flow, which can be dominated either by slower movement of prismatic-basal boundary steps, or by faster glide-shuffle along the twinning plane. The fundamental understanding of twinning provides a pathway to understand deformation from a scientific standpoint and the microstructure design principles to engineer metals with unprecedented combinations of properties from a technological standpoint.

Twin-assisted cracking degradation in sodium layered oxide cathodes

Twinning defects often present in crystalline materials when are subject to mechanical stimuli and are mostly affecting their physicochemical properties. The twinning formation and twin-related degradation upon cycling in sodium layered oxides (SLOs) are poorly understood. Combining atomic-resolution imaging, spectroscopy and first principles calculations, we reveal that growth twinning is unexpectedly common in the SLO materials and the twin boundaries show distinct structural and chemical characters from those identified in lithium layered oxides. A unique O-P-O twinning plane was identified in the O3 type SLO materials. We discover that twin-assisted Na diffusion cause large volume variations and trigger intragranular fracture during electrochemical cycling. The present findings not only establish a robust correlation between growth twinning and intragranular cracking in SLOs, but also offer general implications for the development of high-performing intercalation electrode materials by regulating crystallographic defects.

Atomic structures of twin boundaries in CoO

The twinning plane of crystals with face-centered-cubic (FCC) structure is usually the (111) plane, as found in FCC metals and oxides with FCC sublattice of oxygen, like rock-salt-type NiO and...

EQUILIBRIUM CONDITION OF RESIDUAL EDGE WEDGE-TYPE NANOTWIN IN POST-DEFORMED SOLID BODY

An equilibrium condition of residual edge wedge-type nanotwin in a deformed solid body has been derived in the paper. The condition conclusion is based on the necessity to ensure an equilibrium of force balance acting on every twinning dislocation from the side of the rest twin dislocations. In this case dislocation structure and stress condition at nanotwin mouth have not been taken into account. Results of dislocation theory obtained in the framework of elasticity theory and continuum mechanics have been used in the paper. The paper has considered a component of the resultant force acting in a twinning plane under an assumption that there is no motion of twinning dislocations in the direction which is perpendicular to the twinning plane. The following condition has been made in the model: a discrete distribution of twinning dislocations at twin boundaries. In order to reduce cumbersome calculations a limited number of twinning dislocations has been considered in the paper and an assumption has been made about small value of a helical component in the Burgers vector, in other words the paper has considered an edge nanotwin. In order to decrease a number of equations in the system of equilibrium conditions a symmetric property of a shear component in a stress tensor has been used in the paper. The paper contains description how restrictions on the order of twinning dislocation arrangement on twin boundaries have been imposed. In this case it has been assumed that an arrangement of twinning dislocation pairs in different twin boundaries is in one plane which is perpendicular to the twinning plane. It is necessary to keep in mind that only one twinning dislocation can be located in one twinning plane. Calculations have shown that it is possible to ensure a stable and unstable equilibrium of an edge nanotwin in an ideal unloaded crystal. Sustainable balance is provided by alignment of twinning dislocations in a wall. This leads to a twin disappearance due to annihilation of twin boundary dislocations with its dislocations at the mouth. In order to ensure an unstable equilibrium of a wedge edge nanotwin it is necessary that the distance between twinning dislocations along the length of the twin is equal to interplanar distance.

Crystal Structure and Microstructure of Martensite in Ni-Mn-In Alloys and the Behavior of Variant Rearrangement under Uniaxial Loading

In the present work, the crystal structure and microstructure of martensite in Ni-Mn-In alloys and the variant rearrangement behavior under the external mechanical loading were investigated. Results show that the martensite has an incommensurate 6M modulated structure (I2/m (α0γ)00) with the modulation wave vector q = 0.3437c*. Microstructure of martensite is in plate shape and self-organized with four orientation variants that are alternately distributed and related in either type-I, or type-II or compound twin relation. The variant interfaces are in coincidence with their corresponding twinning plane and then should be considered coherent. Under the uniaxial compression, the loading located in the common positive Schmid factor zone of the three types of detwinning systems might be favorable to obtain the single variant state. This study is expected to offer a fundamental information of crystal structure, microstructures and variant rearrangement behaviors in Ni-Mn-In alloys, so as to understand the underlying mechanisms of their multifunctional magneto-responsive properties.

Recrystallization Twinning in Stable Single Crystals of Cu-2%Al and Al-1%Mn Alloys

The crystallographic aspects of recrystallization twinning have been characterized in {110}<001> and {110}<112>-oriented single crystals of Cu-2%wt.Al and Al-1%wt.Mn alloys. The samples were plane strain compressed to logarithmic strain of 0.52 and then lightly annealed. SEM/EBSD local orientation measurements on partly recrystallized samples demonstrate the appearance of a specific number of new orientation groups of recrystallized grains, which resulted from rotation of the deformed crystal orientations around axes lying near (but rarely at) selected the <111> directions. Then the primary nucleus can transform through the formation of a first generation recrystallization twin. The most frequent situation was that the twinning plane normal was situated near the rotation axis, around which the crystal lattice of the ‘primary nuclei’ rotates. Based on new algorithm to identify coherent and incoherent twin boundaries the influence of free surface on the intensity of annealing twinning was analyzed.

Crystal structure of modulated martensite and crystallographic correlations between martensite variants of Ni50Mn38Sn12alloy

A comprehensive study on the crystal structure, the microstructure and the crystallographic features of the martensite in an Ni50Mn38Sn12alloy has been conducted in the present work. The results show that the martensite possesses a 4O modulated structure. The martensite is organized into broad plates in the original austenite grain. The plates contain irregularly shaped colonies with two characteristic microstructural patterns: a classical lamellar pattern and a herringbone pattern. Crystallographic analyses by scanning electron microscopy/electron backscatter diffraction demonstrate that in each colony there are four orientation variants (A, B, C and D) and they form three types of twins (type I, type II and compound twin). The interfaces between corresponding variants are coincident with their twinning planeK1. The interface planes of the compound twin pairs A&D and B&C can have one or two different orientations, which leads to the two microstructural patterns. The corresponding variants in neighboring colonies within one broad plate (intra-plate colonies) possess close orientations, but the type I and the type II twin relationships are interchanged. The variants in neighboring colonies situated in adjacent plates (inter-plate colonies) are type I or type II twin related but with some angular deviations. The plate interface is defined by the {221} plane of the variant pair with largest thickness. The results of the present work provide comprehensive microstructural and crystallographic information on modulated martensite in NiMnSn alloys that is useful for the understanding of their specific functionalities and helpful for further investigation on property optimization of these materials.

Crystallography and Textural Aspects of Crossed Lamellar Layers in Arcidae (Bivalvia, Mollusca) Shells

Bivalve shell microstructures are important traits that can be used for evolutionary and phylogenetic studies. Here we examine the crossed lamellar layers forming the shells of the arcoids, Arca noae, Glycymeris glycymeris and Glycymeris nummaria in order to better understand the crystallography of this complex biomaterial. Textural aspects and crystallography of the outer crossed lamellar layer of these species have been clarified using high-resolution electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction (XRD) techniques. These shells are made of aragonite crystals in a crossed lamellar arrangement with a high preferred crystal orientation (texture). The distribution of maxima in the pole figures implies that there is not a single crystallographic pattern within the measured area, but a continuous variation between two classes of distinct patterns. In the first of these, there is a set of four crystal orientations (referred to as upper set). These four crystal orientations are distributed in two pairs (which are coplanar), with the crystals of each pair being twinned on {110}. The pairs are tilted with respect to each other by approximately 20-40º around an axis perpendicular to the {110} common twinning plane. In the second pattern (referred to as lower set), the crystal orientations of each pair are rotated around a <–110> direction until the a-axes of the diametrically opposing crystal orientations of two different twinned pairs become parallel. As a result of this rotation, in the lower set the crystal orientations no longer form pairs twinned on {110}.These crystallographic relationships are unknown in inorganic aragonite. Our results are similar to those reported for the neogastropod Conus marmoreus. Thus, the common crossed lamellar crystallography in the arcoid bivalves and in C. marmoreus is a striking example of convergence in the development of crossed lamellar microstructures.