Deformation twins in nanocrystalline Al

Abstract

Due to its high stacking fault energy, no deformation twin has ever been observed in coarse-grained Al. Recent molecular dynamic (MD) simulations predicted the formation of deformation twins in nanocrystalline (nc) Al. Here, we report transmission-electron-microscopic observations of two types of twins in nc Al processed by cryogenic ball milling. They were formed via mechanisms suggested by the MD simulations. We also observed curved twin boundaries caused by partial dislocations. These results indicate that deformation mechanisms not accessible to coarse-grained Al are active in nc Al. They could be responsible for some unique mechanical properties of nc materials.