Abstract
From studies of anisotropy in Knoop hardness1 and transmission electron microscopy of the deformation beneath indentations2, it is widely accepted that some dislocation movement is possible in diamond at room temperature. Three-point bend tests were used earlier to identify a brittle-to-ductile transition temperature of 1,500 °C (ref. 3), and extensive dislocation movement was considered unlikely at lower temperatures. Here we show, however, that multiple slip can occur in diamond as a result of the pressure transmitted by the point-loading of a softer material, namely a cubic boron nitride cone at 1,000 °C. The method enables specimens to be prepared for electron microscopy and X-ray topography that have a controlled density of dislocations introduced at homologous temperatures below 0.3 Tm, where Tm is the melting point. Furthermore, it underlines the importance of microplasticity in the application and performance of crystalline engineering ceramics.
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Brookes, C., Howes, V. & Parry, A. Multiple slip in diamond due to a nominal contact pressure of 10 GPa at 1,000 °C. Nature 332, 139–141 (1988). https://doi.org/10.1038/332139a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/332139a0
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