Dynamic observations of dislocation behavior in SrTiO3 by in situ nanoindentation in a transmission electron microscope

The plastic deformation process of a SrTiO3 single crystal has been dynamically and microscopically observed by in situ nanoindentation in a transmission electron microscope. The plastic deformation of SrTiO3 was found to proceed by dislocation slips even at room temperatures under the present experimental condition, and the dynamic behavior of dislocations such as nucleation, propagation, and annihilation have been clearly captured. The detailed dislocation analyses revealed that the activated slip system is < 110 >{1 (1) over bar0} type, which is consistent with the results of macroscopic deformation experiments reported so far. The mechanisms of dislocation behavior are discussed based on the experimentally obtained results. (C) 2012 American Institute of Physics. [http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.4710558]