In Situ TEM Observation of Cooperative Grain Rotations and the Bauschinger Effect in Nanocrystalline Palladium.

We report on cooperative grain rotation accompanied by a strong Bauschinger effect in nanocrystalline (nc) palladium thin film. A thin film of nc Pd was subjected to cyclic loading-unloading using in situ TEM nanomechanics, and the evolving microstructural characteristics were investigated with ADF-STEM imaging and quantitative ACOM-STEM analysis. ADF-STEM imaging revealed a partially reversible rotation of nanosized grains with a strong out-of-plane component during cyclic loading-unloading experiments.

Nanowire facilitated transfer of sensitive TEM samples in a FIB.

We introduce a facile approach to transfer thin films and other mechanically sensitive TEM samples inside a FIB with minimal introduction of stress and bending. The method is making use of a pre-synthetized flexible freestanding Ag nanowire attached to the tip of a typical tungsten micromanipulator inside the FIB. The main advantages of this approach are the significantly reduced stress-induced bending during transfer and attachment of the TEM sample, the very short time required to attach and cut the nanowire, the operation at very low dose and ion current, and only using the e-beam for Pt deposition during the transfer of sensitive TEM samples.

Early deformation mechanisms in the shear affected region underneath a copper sliding contact.

Dislocation mediated plastic deformation decisively influences the friction coefficient and the microstructural changes at many metal sliding interfaces during tribological loading. This work explores the initiation of a tribologically induced microstructure in the vicinity of a copper twin boundary. Two distinct horizontal dislocation traces lines (DTL) are observed in their interaction with the twin boundary beneath the sliding interface.

Deformation-induced grain growth and twinning in nanocrystalline palladium thin films.

The microstructure and mechanical properties of nanocrystalline Pd films prepared by magnetron sputtering have been investigated as a function of strain. The films were deposited onto polyimide substrates and tested in tensile mode. In order to follow the deformation processes in the material, several samples were strained to defined straining states, up to a maximum engineering strain of 10%, and prepared for post-mortem analysis.

Combination of in situ straining and ACOM TEM: a novel method for analysis of plastic deformation of nanocrystalline metals.

Nanocrystalline metals are expected to exhibit different deformation mechanisms when compared to their coarse grained counterparts because the dislocation storage capacity decreases and the grain boundary mediated processes become more pronounced with decreasing grain size. As a new approach to directly image and quantify the plastic deformation processes in nanocrystalline thin films, a combination of automated crystal orientation mapping in microprobe STEM mode with in situ straining inside a TEM was developed. ACOM-TEM closes the gap between EBSD and BF/DFTEM by providing full orientation maps with nanometer resolution.