Experimental study of lattice distortion in ellipsoid-like nano-crystallites of copper

The elastic state of embedded inclusions is of considerable importance to the properties of materials. The non-uniform lattice distortion in the inclusions in which the interfaces are shaped with variable curvature cannot be measured by usual experimental methods. In this paper, the lattice distortions in an ellipsoid-like nano-crystallite of copper were measured by means of the peak finding method in the central part of the HRTEM image. The effects of contrast delocalization are studied by HRTEM image simulations, which show that the measured spacings of peaks in the middle part of the crystallite can be considered approximately equal to the true spacings of columns. With the HRTEM method, our measured results show that the nano-crystallite is expanded in the short axis direction and compressed in the long axis direction. The results calculated with the elasticity theory incorporating interface tension consist with the experimental results of HRTEM.

► The lattice distortions in an ellipsoid nanocrystallite were experimentally measured.
► Expansion in the short and compression in the long axis, respectively, were found.
► The present experimental results confirmed the predictions of the elasticity theory.