Stress relaxation in a perfect nanocrystal by coherent ejection of lattice layers

TL;DR

This paper investigates how small nanocrystals respond to stress by coherently ejecting lattice layers, revealing a novel relaxation mechanism with implications for nanomaterial stability and potential applications in atomic wire fabrication.

Contribution

It introduces a new stress relaxation process in nanocrystals involving coherent lattice layer ejection, supported by simulation results.

Findings

Coherent ejection of lattice layers occurs under large compressive stresses.

Ejected layers carry away specific energy and momentum, affecting phonon spectra.

Potential applications include nanowire and monolayer film fabrication.

Abstract

We show that a small crystal trapped within a potential well and in contact with its own fluid, responds to large compressive stresses by a novel mechanism -- the transfer of complete lattice layers across the solid-fluid interface. Further, when the solid is impacted by a momentum impulse set up in the fluid, a coherently ejected lattice layer carries away a definite quantity of energy and momentum, resulting in a sharp peak in the calculated phonon absorption spectrum. Apart from its relevance to studies of stability and failure of small sized solids, such coherent nanospallation may be used to make atomic wires or monolayer films.