Surface Effects in the Creep of Cadmium Single Crystals

Abstract

THE effect of immersing oxide-coated single crystal wires of cadmium in an electrolyte such as cadmium chloride is to increase the creep-rate many times. This effect was first noted by Andrade and Randall¹. However, Andrade² afterwards found that if the surface of the crystals was cleaned by the evaporation of the outer layers this effect no longer existed. Similar results were obtained independently at the Cavendish Laboratory on crystals electro-polished in a perchloric acid–alcohol bath. (A check on the surface cleanliness was made by electron diffraction.)