Plastic deformation of the C14 Laves phase (Fe,Ni)2Nb

Single-crystal micropillar specimens of a hexagonal Laves phase (Fe,Ni)2Nb, produced by focused ion beam milling, demonstrated plastic deformation in compression at room temperature by slip. Specifically, if dislocation sources are introduced in the pillars, or are previously present, plastic deformation proceeds in these small volumes in the absence of local tensile stresses that can be present in macroscopic specimens. Thus, this approach enables the fundamental mechanical properties of this important class of brittle materials to be extracted.