Is the compression of tapered micro- and nanopillar samples a legitimate technique for the identification of deformation mode change in metallic glasses?

In situ transmission electron microscopy compression was conducted on amorphous ZrCu nanopillars, 140 nm in diameter and with a taper angle. The aspect ratio of nanopillars is over 6. Experimental observations and simulations both demonstrate that the deformation is localized near the top of the tapered metallic glass pillar, in sharp contrast to pillars of classic Mises plastic solids, which exhibit typical barreling behavior in compression. Localized shear bands appear to be absent, but they form inside the tapered samples.

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