Imperfect oriented attachment: dislocation generation in defect-free nanocrystals.

Penn, RL; Banfield, JF · Science · 1998

basic_science · Level V

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Abstract

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.