Influence of environment on the mobility of near-surface dislocations in ionic crystals

Abstract

The environment-sensitive mobility of near-surface edge and screw dislocations around indentations in LiF, MgO, and NaCl has been studied. It is demonstrated that, contrary to recent reports, adsorbed species can markedly affect dislocation mobility in the absence of either surface step formation or significant reductions in surface free energy. The mechanistic significance of this is discussed.