Slip Sequences during Tensile Deformation of Palladium Nanocontacts

The thinning dynamics of palladium (Pd) nanocontacts (NCs) during tensile deformation was observed in situ at room temperature by transmission electron microscopy. Simultaneously, force acting on the NCs and conductance of them were measured Slip sequences occurred in the most constriction region of the NCs, resulting in thinning through a series of the formation of, first, pillar-like structures of several nanometers width and then single-atom wires. The critical shear stress for the slip events was estimated. (C) 2009 The Japan Society of Applied Physics