Twin tip defects related to the nucleation and growth mechanisms of the twin (1012) in zinc characterized by high-resolution electron microscopy

Unraveling the Atomic Shuffles of Twinning Nucleation in Hexagonal Close-Packed Rhenium Nanocrystals

Reining in deformation twinning is crucial for the mechanical properties of hexagonal close-packed (HCP) metals and hinges on an explicit understanding of the twinning nucleation mechanism. Unfortunately, it is often suggested rather than conclusively demonstrated that twinning nucleation can be mediated by pure atomic shuffles. Herein, by utilizing in situ high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, we have dissected the atomic shuffling mechanism during the {101̅2} twinning nucleation in rhenium nanocrystals, which revealed the emergence of an intermediate body-centered tetragonal (BCT) structure. Specifically, the double-layered prismatic planes initially shuffle into single-layered {11̅0}BCT planes; subsequently, adjacent {22̅0}BCT planes shuffle in opposite directions to form the basal planes of the twin embryo. This shuffling mechanism is further corroborated by molecular dynamic simulations. The finding provides direct evidence of shuffle-dominated twinning nucleation with atomic details that may lead to better control of this critical twinning mode in HCP metals.

Review of Non-Classical Features of Deformation Twinning in hcp Metals and Their Description by Disconnection Mechanisms

The study of deformation twinning has long history. However new, sometimes surprising, findings have shown that the phenomenon of deformation twinning still is not completely understood. During recent years, some debates are taking place in the scientific literature concerning deformation twinning mechanisms in metals with hcp structure. These debates deal with the importance of special twin boundary dislocations named disconnections, growth and nucleation of twins, non-Schmid behavior of twinning, difference of deformation produced by twins from simple shear. They invoked new propositions for atomistic mechanisms of deformation twinning. The purpose of this review is to compare the classical theories of interfacial defects with the new findings and prove that many of these findings can be understood in terms of these well-established theories. The main attention is paid to summarizing the explanations of different phenomena in terms of disconnection mechanisms in order to show that there is no contradiction between these mechanisms and the new findings.

Characteristic boundaries associated with three-dimensional twins in hexagonal metals

Twinning is a critically important deformation mode in hexagonal close-packed metals. Twins are three-dimensional (3D) domains, whose growth is mediated by the motion of facets bounding the 3D twin domains and influences work hardening in metals. An understanding of twin transformations therefore necessitates that the atomic-scale structure and intrinsic mobilities of facets be known and characterized. The present work addresses the former point by systematically characterizing the boundary structures of 3D{ 1 ¯ 012 } twins in magnesium using high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM). Eight characteristic facets associated with twin boundaries are reported, five of which have never been experimentally observed before. Further, molecular dynamics simulations suggest that the formation and motion of these facets is associated with the accumulation of twinning dislocations. This work provides insights into understanding the structural character of 3D twins and serves to develop strategies for modulating twin kinetics by modifying twin boundaries, such as solute segregation.

Direct observation of dual-step twinning nucleation in hexagonal close-packed crystals

Design and processing of advanced lightweight structural alloys based on magnesium and titanium rely critically on a control over twinning that remains elusive to date and is dependent on an explicit understanding on the twinning nucleation mechanism in hexagonal close-packed (HCP) crystals. Here, by using in-situ high resolution transmission electron microscopy, we directly show a dual-step twinning nucleation mechanism in HCP rhenium nanocrystals. We find that nucleation of the predominant {1 0 −1 2} twinning is initiated by disconnections on the Prismatic│Basal interfaces which establish the lattice correspondence of the twin with a minor deviation from the ideal orientation. Subsequently, the minor deviation is corrected by the formation of coherent twin boundaries through rearrangement of the disconnections on the Prismatic│Basal interface; thereafter, the coherent twin boundaries propagate by twinning dislocations. The findings provide high-resolution direct evidence of the twinning nucleation mechanism in HCP crystals.

Aspects of twinning in hexagonal-close-packed crystals remain elusive. Here, the authors directly image twinning in rhenium nanocrystals and show the process is mediated by disconnections on Prismatic│Basal interfaces as the twin initially deviates from its ideal orientation before it is corrected.