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Dopants can significantly affect the properties of oxide ceramics through their impact on the property-determined microstructure characteristics such as grain boundary segregation, space charge layer formation in the grain boundary vicinity, and the resultant microstructure features like bimodality due to abnormal grain growth. To support rational oxide ceramics design, we propose a multiphysics-based and defect-chemistry-informed phase-field grain growth model to simulate the microstructure evolution of oxide ceramics. It fully respects the thermodynamics of charged point defects (oxygen vacancies and dopants) in both the grain interior and boundaries and considers the competing kinetics of defect diffusion and grain boundary movement. The proposed phase-field model is benchmarked against well-known simplified bicrystal models, including the Mott-Schottky and Gouy-Chapman models. Various simulation results are presented to reveal the impacts of defect formation energy differences between the grain interior and the grain boundary core on the key microstructural aspects. In particular, simulation results confirm that the solute drag effect alone can lead to bimodal grain size distribution, without any contribution from grain misorientation and other anisotropy. Interestingly, abnormal grain growth simulations demonstrate that grain boundary potentials can vary substantially: grain boundaries of larger grains tend to have lower potentials than those of smaller grains. Such heterogeneous grain boundary potential distribution may inspire a new material optimization strategy through microstructure design. This study provides a comprehensive framework for defect-chemistry-consistent investigations of microstructure evolution in polycrystalline oxide ceramics, offering fundamental insights into in-situ processes during critical manufacturing stages.

Characteristic shock effects in silica serve as a key indicator of historical impacts at geological sites. Despite this geological significance, atomistic details of structural transformations under high pressure and shock compression remain poorly understood. This ambiguity is evidenced by conflicting experimental observations of both amorphization and crystallization transitions. Utilizing a newly developed machine-learning interatomic potential, we examine the response of $\alpha$-quartz to shock compression with a peak pressure of 60 GPa over nano-second timescales. We initially observe amorphization before recrystallization into a d-NiAs-structured silica with disorder on the silicon sublattice, accompanied by the formation of domains with partial order of silicon. Investigating a variety of strain conditions enables us to identify the non-hydrostatic stress and strain states that allow the direct diffusionless formation of rosiaite-structured silica.

Efficient, reliable and easy-to-use structure recognition of atomic environments is essential for the analysis of atomic scale computer simulations. In this work, we train two neuronal network (NN) architectures, namely PointNet and dynamic graph convolutional NN (DG-CNN) using different hyperparameters and training regimes to assess their performance in structure identification tasks of atomistic structure data. We show benchmarks on simple crystal structures, where we can compare against established methods. The approach is subsequently extended to structurally more complex SiO$_2$ phases. By making use of this structure recognition tool, we are able to achieve a deeper understanding of the crystallization process in amorphous SiO$_2$ under shock compression. Lastly, we show how the NN based structure identification workflows can be integrated into OVITO using its python interface.

Silicon oxycarbides show outstanding versatility due to their highly tunable composition and microstructure. Consequently, a key challenge is a thorough knowledge of structure-property relations in the system. In this work, we fit an atomic cluster expansion potential to a set of actively learned DFT training data spanning a wide configurational space. We demonstrate the ability of the potential to produce realistic amorphous structures and rationalize the formation of different morphologies of the turbostratic free carbon phase. Finally, we relate the materials stiffness to its composition and microstructure, finding a delicate dependence on Si-C bonds that contradicts commonly assumed relations to the free carbon phase.

We present a comprehensive and user-friendly framework built upon the pyiron integrated development environment (IDE), enabling researchers to perform the entire Machine Learning Potential (MLP) development cycle consisting of (i) creating systematic DFT databases, (ii) fitting the Density Functional Theory (DFT) data to empirical potentials or MLPs, and (iii) validating the potentials in a largely automatic approach. The power and performance of this framework are demonstrated for three conceptually very different classes of interatomic potentials: an empirical potential (embedded atom method - EAM), neural networks (high-dimensional neural network potentials - HDNNP) and expansions in basis sets (atomic cluster expansion - ACE). As an advanced example for validation and application, we show the computation of a binary composition-temperature phase diagram for Al-Li, a technologically important lightweight alloy system with applications in the aerospace industry.

Silicon-oxygen compounds are among the most important ones in the natural sciences, occurring as building blocks in minerals and being used in semiconductors and catalysis. Beyond the well known silicon dioxide, there are phases with different stoichiometric composition and nanostructured composites. One of the key challenges in understanding the Si-O system is therefore to accurately account for its nanoscale heterogeneity beyond the length scale of individual atoms. Here we show that a unified computational description of the full Si-O system is indeed possible, based on atomistic machine learning coupled to an active-learning workflow. We showcase applications to very-high-pressure silica, to surfaces and aerogels, and to the structure of amorphous silicon monoxide. In a wider context, our work illustrates how structural complexity in functional materials beyond the atomic and few-nanometre length scales can be captured with active machine learning.

Designing the microstructure of Fe-Ni permalloy by additive manufacturing (AM) opens new avenues to tailor the materials' magnetic properties. Yet, AM-produced parts suffer from spatially inhomogeneous thermal-mechanical and magnetic responses, which are less investigated in terms of process simulation and modeling schemes. Here we present a powder-resolved multiphysics-multiscale simulation scheme for describing magnetic hysteresis in materials produced via AM. The underlying physical processes are explicitly considered, including the coupled thermal-structural evolution, chemical order-disorder transitions, and associated thermo-elasto-plastic behaviors. The residual stress is identified as the key thread in connecting the physical processes and in-process phenomena across scales. By employing this scheme, we investigate the dependence of the fusion zone size, the residual stress and plastic strain, and the magnetic hysteresis of AM-produced Fe21.5Ni78.5 permalloy on beam power and scan speed. Simulation results also suggest a phenomenological relation between magnetic coercivity and average residual stress, which can guide the magnetic hysteresis design of soft magnetic materials by choosing appropriate AM-process parameters.

Nanoporous metals or nanofoams are a promising material class that is considered for sensing, actuation, and catalysis. To date, they mostly based on simple noble metals such as nanoporous gold, which exhibit peculiar stress-strain response different from the bulk material. At the same time bulk alloys such as NiTi feature a reversible martensitic phase transition giving rise to interesting shape memory and superelastic effects. Combining the rich mechanics of NiTi with the geometrical features of a nanofoam is expected to improve the mechanical performance of this material. In this atomistic study we explore the behavior of a NiTi nanofoam at varying temperature and its reaction to (cyclic) compression. Using molecular dynamics simulations we track the microscopic processes enabling reversible deformation as well as the mechanical failure mechanisms of the NiTi nanofoam.

The nature of mechanically induced dislocations in SrTiO3 at low temperatures has been a disputed matter for a long time. Here we provide a systematic overview of the existing knowledge on dislocations in stoichiometric SrTiO3 complemented by computational models of several of the proposed dislocation types. Based on atomistic simulations we reveal their structure and mobility and put our focus on the splitting into partial dislocations, because this mechanism is held responsible for the good dislocation mobility in strontium titanate. Our results reveal that dislocations with a {1-10} glide plane (types A, B, and C) show easy glide behavior due to their glide dissociated configuration. The motion of dislocations on {001} glide planes (type E), however, is prohibited due to high Peierls barriers, as is the case for the {1-1-2} glide plane (type D). For dislocations with (partial) edge character the dissociation into partials is shown to be very sensitive to the charge state of the dislocation core. Since, in turn, dislocation mobility is strongly related to the dissociation of dislocations, the macroscopic ductility may in some cases have a direct relation to the charge at the dislocation core.

Ultra-dense domain walls are increasingly important for many devices but their microscopic properties are so far not fully understood. In this study we combine atomistic and coarse-grained molecular dynamic simulations to study the domain wall stability in the prototypical ferroelectric BaTiO3. We transfer the discussion of the field-driven nucleation and motion of domain walls to thermally induced modifications of the wall without an external driving force. Our simulations show that domain wall dynamics and stability depend crucially on microscopic thermal fluctuations. Enhanced fluctuations at domain walls may result in the formation of critical nuclei for the permanent shift of the domain wall. If two domain walls are close - put in other words, when domains are small - thermal fluctuations can be sufficient to bring domain walls into contact and lead to the annihilation of small domains. This is even true well below the Curie temperature and when domain walls are initially as far apart as 6 unit cells. Such small domains are, thus, not stable and limit the maximum achievable domain wall density in nanoelectronic devices.

Sulphurization processes in Cu(In,Ga)Se$_2$ thin-film solar cells has been intensively studied in the last decade as a viable alternative to the existing Ga-grading. The main advantage of using S grading is that by substituting Se with S we will achieve not only an upshift of the conduction-band minimum as done by employing Ga grading, but also a downshift of the valence-band maximum. Several existing studies stipulate that S is very often inserted in too high concentrations into Cu(In,Ga)Se$_2$ absorber by sulphurization resulting in a deteriorated device performance instead of the expected beneficial effect. However, we demonstrate here that the intense sulphurization process when accompanied by Ga-grading leads to improved electrical properties of the buffer/absorber heterojunction. More exactly, this double grading at the absorber surface leads to strong reduction of the p-doping and hence to a change in the band diagram. This work also proves that the intense sulphurization process is accompanied by strong structural and chemical changes, i.e., by the formation of a S-rich CuIn(S,Se)$_2$ compound at the absorber surface. Finally, all these experimental findings were complemented by ab-initio calculations of the conduction-band and valence-band offsets between absorber and buffer obtained by using density functional theory. Hence, the present work opens up new possibilities for synthesizing Cu(In,Ga)(Se,S)2 solar cells with superior cell performance when using an intense sulphurization process.

The vacancy concentration at finite temperatures is studied for a series of (CoCrFeMn)$_{1-x_\mathrm{Ni}}$Ni$_{x_\mathrm{Ni}}$ alloys by grand-canonical Monte-Carlo (MC) simulations. The vacancy formation energies are calculated from a classical interatomic potential and exhibit a distribution due to the different chemical environments of the vacated sites. In dilute alloys, this distribution features multiple discrete peaks, while concentrated alloys exhibit an unimodal distribution as there are many different chemical environments of similar vacancy formation energy. MC simulations using a numerically efficient bond-counting model confirm that the vacancy concentration even in concentrated alloys may be calculated by the established Maxwell-Boltzmann equation weighted by the given distribution of formation energies. We calculate the variation of vacancy concentration as function of Ni content in the (CoCrFeMn)$_{x_\mathrm{Ni}}$Ni$_{1-x_\mathrm{Ni}}$ and prove the excellent agreement of the thermodynamic model and the results from the grand-canonical Monte-Carlo simulations.

We investigate the influence of Br$^-$/S$^{2-}$ site-exchange on lithium diffusion in the agyrodite-type solid electrolyte Li$_6$PS$_5$Br by ab-initio molecular dynamics simulations. Based on the calculated trajectories a new mechanism for the internal lithium reorganization within the Li-cages around the $4d$ sites is identified. This reorganization mechanism is highly concerted and cannot be described by one single rotation axis only. Simulations with Br$^-$/S$^{2-}$ defects reveal that Li$^._i$ interstitials are the dominant mobile charge carriers, which originate from Frenkel pairs. These are formed because Br$^._\text{S}$ defects on the $4d$ sites cause the transfer of one or even two Li$^._i$ to the neighboring 12 cages. The lithium interstitials then carry out intercage jumps via interstitial and interstitialcy mechanisms. With that, one single Br$^._\text{S}$ defect enables Li diffusion over an extended spatial area explaining why low degrees of site-exchange are sufficient to trigger superionic conduction. The vacant sites of the Frenkel pairs, namely V$'_\text{Li}$, are mostly immobile and bound to the Br$^._\text{S}$ defect. To a lesser degree also S$'_\text{Br}$ defects induce disturbances in the lithium distribution and act as sinks for lithium interstitials restricting the Li$^._i$ motion to the vicinity of the S$'_\text{Br}$ defect.

Dislocations in single-phase concentrated random alloys, including high- entropy alloys (HEAs), repeatedly encounter pinning during glide, resulting in jerky dislocation motion. While solute-dislocation interaction is well understood in conventional alloys, the origin of individual pinning points in concentrated random alloys is a matter of debate. In this work, we investigate the origin of dislocation pinning in the CoCrFeMnNi HEA. In- situ transmission electron microscopy studies reveal wavy dislocation lines and a jagged glide motion under external loading, even though no segregation or clustering is found around Shockley partial dislocations. Atomistic simulations reproduce the jerky dislocation motion and link the repeated pinning to local fluctuations in the Peierls friction. We demonstrate that the density of high local Peierls friction is proportional to the critical stress required for dislocation glide and the dislocation mobility., Comment: Accepted version

A direct measurement of the decay width of the excited $0^+_1$ state of $^6$Li using the relative self-absorption technique is reported. Our value of $\Gamma_{\gamma, 0^+_1 \to 1^+_1} = 8.17(14)_\mathrm{stat.}(11)_\mathrm{syst.} \mathrm{eV}$ provides sufficiently low experimental uncertainties to test modern theories of nuclear forces. The corresponding transition rate is compared to the results of ab initio calculations based on chiral effective field theory that take into account contributions to the magnetic dipole operator beyond leading order. This enables a precision test of the impact of two-body currents that enter at next-to-leading order., Comment: 7 pages, 3 figures

Tracer diffusion of all constituting elements is studied at various temperatures in a series of (CoCrFeMn)$_{100-x}$Ni$_x$ alloys with compositions ranging from pure Ni to the equiatomic CoCrFeMnNi high-entropy alloy. At a given homologous temperature, the measured tracer diffusion coefficients change non-monotonically along the transition from pure Ni to the concentrated alloys and finally to the equiatomic CoCrFeMnNi alloy. This is explained by atomistic Monte-Carlo simulations based on a modified embedded-atom potentials, which reveal that local heterogeneities of the atomic configurations around a vacancy cause correlation effects and induce significant deviations from predictions of the random alloy model., Comment: 16 pages; 10 figures

Nanocrystalline metals contain a large fraction of high-energy grain boundaries, which may be considered as glassy phases. Consequently, with decreasing grain size, a crossover in the deformation behaviour of nanocrystals to that of metallic glasses has been proposed. Here, we study this crossover using molecular dynamics simulations on bulk glasses, glass-crystal nanocomposites, and nanocrystals of Cu64Zr36 with varying crystalline volume fractions induced by long-time thermal annealing. We find that the grain boundary phase behaves like a metallic glass under constraint from the abutting crystallites. The transition from glass-like to grain-boundary-mediated plasticity can be classified into three regimes: (1) For low crystalline volume fractions, the system resembles a glass-crystal composite and plastic flow is localised in the amorphous phase; (2) with increasing crystalline volume fraction, clusters of crystallites become jammed and the mechanical response depends critically on the relaxation state of the glassy grain boundaries; (3) at grain sizes $\geq$ 10 nm, the system is jammed completely, prohibiting pure grain-boundary plasticity and instead leading to co-deformation. We observe an inverse Hall-Petch effect only in the second regime when the grain boundary is not deeply relaxed. Experimental results with different grain boundary states are therefore not directly comparable in this regime., Comment: 19 pages, 17 figures

In acceptor doped ferroelectrics and in ferroelectric films and nanocomposites, defect dipoles, strain gradients, and the electric boundary conditions at interfaces and surfaces often impose internal bias fields. In this work we delicately study the impact of internal bias fields on the electrocaloric effect (ECE), utilizing an analytical model and \emph{ab initio}-based molecular dynamics simulations. We reveal the complex dependency of the ECE on field protocol and relative strength of internal and external fields. The internal fields may even reverse the sign of the response (inverse or negative ECE). We explore the transition between conventional and inverse ECE and discuss reversible and irreversible contributions to the field-induced specific entropy change. Most importantly, we predict design routes to optimize the cooling and heating response for small external fields by the combination of internal field strengths and the field loading protocol.

The local dynamics of the lead-free relaxor $0.964\mathrm{Na}_{1/2}\mathrm{Bi}_{1/2}\mathrm{TiO}_3-0.036\mathrm{BaTiO}_3$ (NBT-3.6BT) have been investigated by a combination of quasielastic neutron scattering (QENS) and ab initio molecular dynamics simulations. In a previous paper, we were able to show that the tetragonal platelets in the microstructure are crucial for understanding the dielectric properties of NBT-3.6BT [F. Pforr et al., Phys. Rev. B 94, 014105 (2016)]. To investigate their dynamics, ab initio molecular dynamics simulations were carried out using $\mathrm{Na}_{1/2}\mathrm{Bi}_{1/2}\mathrm{TiO}_3$ with 001 cation order as a simple model system for the tetragonal platelets in NBT-3.6BT. Similarly, 111-ordered $\mathrm{Na}_{1/2}\mathrm{Bi}_{1/2}\mathrm{TiO}_3$ was used as a model for the rhombohedral matrix. The measured single crystal QENS spectra could be reproduced by a linear combination of calculated spectra. We find that the relaxational dynamics of NBT-3.6BT are concentrated in the tetragonal platelets. Chaotic stages, during which the local tilt order changes incessantly on the timescale of several picoseconds, cause the most significant contribution to the quasielastic intensity. They can be regarded as an excited state of tetragonal platelets, whose relaxation back into a quasistable state might explain the frequency dependence of the dielectric properties of NBT-3.6BT in the 100 GHz to THz range. This substantiates the assumption that the relaxor properties of NBT-3.6BT originate from the tetragonal platelets., Comment: 27 pages, 9 figures

In this work we present molecular dynamics simulations on the creep behavior of $\rm Cu_{64}Zr_{36}$ metallic glass composites. Surprisingly, all composites exhibit much higher creep rates than the homogeneous glass. The glass-crystal interface can be viewed as a weak interphase, where the activation barrier of shear transformation zones is lower than in the surrounding glass. We observe that the creep behavior of the composites does not only depend on the interface area but also on the orientation of the interface with respect to the loading axis. We propose an explanation in terms of different mean Schmid factors of the interfaces, with the amorphous interface regions acting as preferential slip sites., Comment: 11 pages, 13 figures

The influence of elastic strain on the lithium vacancy formation and migration in bulk LiCoO2 is evaluated by means of first-principles calculations within density functional theory (DFT). Strain dependent energies are determined directly from defective cells and also within linear elasticity theory from the elastic dipole tensor (Gij) for ground state and saddle point configurations. We analyze finite size-effects in the calculation of Gij, compare the predictions of the linear elastic model with those obtained from direct calculations of defective cells under strain and discuss the differences. Based on our data, we calculate the variations in vacancy concentration and mobility due to the presence of external strain in bulk LiCoO2 cathodes. Our results reveal that elastic in-plane and out-of-plane strains can significantly change the ionic conductivity of bulk LiCoO2 by an order of magnitude and thus strongly affect the performance of Li-secondary batteries.

We study order transitions and defect formation in a model high-entropy alloy (CuNiCoFe) under ion irradiation by means of molecular dynamics simulations. Using a hybrid Monte-Carlo/molecular dynamics scheme a model alloy is generated which is thermodynamically stabilized by configurational entropy at elevated temperatures, but partly decomposes at lower temperatures by copper precipation. Both the high-entropy and the multiphase sample are then subjected to simulated particle irradiation. The damage accumulation is analyzed and compared to an elemental Ni reference system. The results reveal that the high-entropy alloy---independent of the initial configuration---installs a certain fraction of short-range order even under particle irradiation. Moreover, the results provide evidence that defect accumulation is reduced in the high-entropy alloy. This is because the reduced mobility of point defects leads to a steady state of defect creation and annihilation. The lattice defects generated by irradiation are shown to act as sinks for Cu segregation., Comment: 29 pages, 20 figures

The origin of the anomalously compliant behavior of nanoporous gold is studied by comparing the elasticity obtained from molecular dynamics (MD) and finite element method (FEM) simulations. Both models yield a compliance, which is much higher than the predictions of the Gibson-Ashby scaling relation for metal foams and thus confirm the influence of other microstructural features besides the porosity. The linear elastic FEM simulation also yields a substantially stiffer response than the MD simulation, which reveals that nonlinear elastic behavior contributes decisively to the anomalous compliance of nanoporous gold at small structure size., Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures

The boson peak appears in all amorphous solids and is an excess of vibrational states at low frequencies compared to the phonon spectrum of the corresponding crystal. Until recently, the consensus was that it originated from "defects" in the glass. The nature of these defects is still under discussion, but the picture of regions with locally disturbed short-range order and/or decreased elastic constants has gained some traction. Recently, a different theory was proposed: The boson peak was attributed to the first van Hove singularity of crystal lattices which is only smeared out by the disorder. This new viewpoint assumes that the van Hove singularity is simply shifted by the decreased density of the amorphous state and is therefore not a glass-specific anomaly. In order to resolve this issue, we use computer models of a four-component alloy, alternatively with chemical disorder (high-entropy alloy), structural disorder, and reduced density. Comparison to a reference glass of the same composition reveals that the boson peak consists of additional vibrational modes which can be induced solely by structural disorder. While chemical disorder introduces fluctuations of the elastic constants, we find that those do not lead to sufficient local softening to induce these modes. A boson peak due to a reduction of density could be excluded for the present metallic system., Comment: 9 pages, 8 figures

The electrocaloric effect (ECE) of BaZr$_{x}$Ti$_{1-x}$O$_3$ (BZT) is closely related to the relaxor state transition of the materials. This work presents a systematic study on the ECE and the state transition of the BZT, using a combined canonical and microcanonical Monte Carlo simulations based a lattice-based on a Ginzburg-Landau-type Hamiltonian. For comparison and verification, experimental measurements have been carried on BTO and BZT ($x=0.12$ and $0.2$) samples, including the ECE at various temperatures, domain patterns by Piezoresponse Force Microscopy at room temperature, and the P-E loops at various temperatures. Results show that the dependency of BZT behavior of the Zr-concentration can be classified into three different stages. In the composition range of $ 0 \leq x \leq 0.2 $, ferroelectric domains are visible, but ECE peak drops with increasing Zr-concentration harshly. In the range of $ 0.3 \leq x \leq 0.7 $, relaxor features become prominent, and the decrease of ECE with Zr-concentration is moderate. In the high concentration range of $ x \geq 0.8 $, the material is almost nonpolar, and there is no ECE peak visible. Results suggest that BZT with certain low range of Zr-concentration around $x=0.12 \sim 0.3 $ can be a good candidate with relatively high ECE and simutaneously wide temperature application range at rather low temperature.

Application of a negative field on a positively poled ferroelectric sample can enhance the electrocaloric cooling and appears as a promising method to optimize the electrocaloric cycle. Experimental measurements show that the maximal cooling does not appear at the zero-polarization point, but around the shoulder of the P-E loop. This phenomenon cannot be explained by the theory based on the constant total entropy assumption under adiabatic condition. In fact, adiabatic condition does not imply constant total entropy when irreversibility is involved. A direct entropy analysis approach based on work loss is proposed in this work, which takes the entropy contribution of the irreversible process into account. The optimal reversed field determined by this approach agrees with the experimental observations. This study signifies the importance of considering the irreversible process in the electrocaloric cycles.

An improved thermodynamic cycle is proposed, where the cooling effect of an electrocaloric refrigerant is enhanced by applying a reversed electric field. In contrast to conventional adiabatic heating or cooling by on-off cycles of the external electric field, applying a reversed field is significantly improving the cooling efficiency, since the variation in configurational entropy is increased. By comparing results from computer simulations using Monte-Carlo algorithms and experiments using direct electrocaloric measurements, we show that the electrocaloric cooling efficiency can be enhanced by more than 20\% in standard ferroelectrics and also relaxor ferroelectrics, like Pb(Mg$_{1/3}$/Nb$_{2/3}$)$_{0.71}$Ti$_{0.29}$O$_3$.

The influence of defect dipoles on the electrocaloric effect (ECE) in acceptor doped BaTiO$_3$ is studied by means of lattice-based Monte-Carlo simulations. A Ginzburg-Landau type effective Hamiltonian is used. Oxygen vacancy-acceptor associates are described by fixed defect dipoles with orientation parallel or anti-parallel to the external field. By a combination of canonical and microcanoncial simulations the ECE is directly evaluated. Our results show that in the case of anti-parallel defect dipoles the ECE can be positive or negative depending on the density of defect dipoles. Moreover, a transition from a negative to positive ECE can be observed from a certain density of anti-parallel dipoles on when the external field increases. These transitions are due to the delicate interplay of internal and external fields, and are explained by the domain structure evolution and related field-induced entropy changes. The results are compared to those obtained by MD simulations employing an {\it{ab initio}} based effective Hamiltonian, and a good qualitative agreement is found. In addition, a novel electrocaloric cycle, which makes use of the negative ECE and defect dipoles, is proposed to enhance the cooling effect.

We present a study of the elastic and plastic behavior of nanoporous gold in compression, focusing on molecular dynamics simulation and inspecting experimental data for verification. Both approaches agree on an anomalously high elastic compliance in the early stages of deformation, along with a quasi immediate onset of plastic yielding even at the smallest load. Already before the first loading, the material undergoes spontaneous plastic deformation under the action of the capillary forces, requiring no external load. Plastic deformation under compressive load is accompanied by dislocation storage and dislocation interaction, along with strong strain hardening. Dislocation-starvation scenarios are not supported by our results. The stiffness increases during deformation, but never approaches the prediction by the relevant Gibson-Ashby scaling law. Microstructural disorder affects the plastic deformation behavior and surface excess elasticity might modify elastic response, yet we relate the anomalous compliance and the immediate yield onset to an atomistic origin: the large surface-induced prestress induces elastic shear that brings some regions in the material close to the shear instability of the generalized stacking fault energy curve. These regions are elastically highly compliant and plastically weak.

Solid-state amorphization of crystalline copper nanolayers embedded in a Cu64Zr36 metallic glass is studied by molecular dynamics simulations for different orientations of the crystalline layer. We show that solid-state amorphization is driven by a reduction of interface energy, which compensates the bulk excess energy of the amorphous nanolayer with respect to the crystalline phase up to a critical layer thickness. A simple thermodynamic model is derived, which describes the simulation results in terms of orientation-dependent interface energies. Detailed analysis reveals the structure of the amorphous nanolayer and allows a comparison to a quenched copper melt, providing further insights into the origin of excess and interface energy., Comment: 16 pages, 18 figures

The interaction of shear bands with crystalline nanoprecipitates in Cu-Zr-based metallic glasses is investigated by a combination of high-resolution TEM imaging and molecular-dynamics computer simulations. Our results reveal different interaction mechanisms: Shear bands can dissolve precipitates, can wrap around crystalline obstacles, or can be blocked depending on size and density of the precipitates. If the crystalline phase has a low yield strength, we also observe slip transfer through the precipitate. Based on the computational results and experimental findings, a qualitative mechanism map is proposed that categorizes the various processes as a function of the critical stress for dislocation nucleation, precipitate size, and distance., Comment: 16 pages, 15 figures