Imperfect oriented attachment: dislocation generation in defect-free nanocrystals
Dislocations are common defects in solids, yet all crystals begin as dislocation-free nuclei. The mechanisms by which dislocations form during early growth are poorly understood. When nanocrystalline materials grow by oriented attachment at crystallographically specific surfaces and there is a small misorientation at the interface, dislocations result. Spiral growth at two or more closely spaced screw dislocations provides a mechanism for generating complex polytypic and polymorphic structures. These results are of fundamental importance to understanding crystal growth.
R. L. Penn, Materials Science Program, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA. J. F. Banfield, Mineralogical Institute, Graduate School of Science, University of Tokyo, Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113, Japan. E-m.
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