Microstructure, formation mechanism and compression plasticity of regularly faceted Cu particles

Regular submicron-scale Cu particles formed spontaneously by annealing Cu–Zr films. Based on these experimental results, it was speculated that these Cu particles are single crystals. Analysis indicates that the formation of these pure Cu particles can be attributed to atomic diffusion driven by the relaxation of compressive stress. A mechanism for the formation of the regular Cu particles was suggested. In addition, a simple compression test shows that these pure Cu particles exhibit high compression plasticity.