Amorphous shear bands in crystalline materials as drivers of plasticity

TL;DR

This paper investigates the formation of amorphous shear bands in crystalline materials, revealing how they influence plasticity and fracture, and proposing strategies to enhance material toughness.

Contribution

It identifies material properties that determine shear band formation and demonstrates how compositional changes can switch materials from ductile to brittle behavior.

Findings

Amorphous shear bands can drive plasticity in undefected crystals.

Material composition influences whether shear bands lead to ductile or brittle failure.

Experimental and simulation data support strategies to improve toughness.

Abstract

Traditionally, the formation of amorphous shear bands (SBs) in crystalline materials has been undesirable, because SBs can nucleate voids and act as precursors to fracture. They also form as a final stage of accumulated damage. Only recently SBs were found to form in undefected crystals, where they serve as the primary driver of plasticity without nucleating voids. Here, we have discovered trends in materials properties that determine when amorphous shear bands will form and whether they will drive plasticity or lead to fracture. We have identified the materials systems that exhibit SB deformation, and by varying the composition, we were able to switch from ductile to brittle behavior. Our findings are based on a combination of experimental characterization and atomistic simulations, and they provide a potential strategy for increasing toughness of nominally brittle materials.