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Li, S. F.

Publications and source records attributed to Li, S. F..

Bright x-rays reveal shifting deformation states and effects of the microstructure on the plastic deformation of crystalline materials

The plastic deformation of crystalline materials is usually modeled as smoothly progressing in space and time, yet modern studies show intermittency in the deformation dynamics of single-crystals arising from avalanche behavior of dislocation ensembles under uniform applied loads. However, once the prism of the microstructure in polycrystalline materials disperses and redistributes the load on a grain-by-grain basis, additional length and time scales are involved. Thus, the question is open as to how deformation intermittency manifests for the nonuniform grain-scale internal driving forces interacting with the finer-scale dislocation ensemble behavior. In this work we track the evolution of elastic strain within individual grains of a creep-loaded titanium alloy, revealing widely varying internal strains that fluctuate over time. Here, the findings provide direct evidence of how flow intermittency proceeds for an aggregate of ~700 grains while showing the influences of multiscale ensemble interactions and opening new avenues for advancing plasticity modeling.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

A method to generate conformal finite-element meshes from 3D measurements of microstructurally small fatigue-crack propagation [A method to generate conformal finite-element meshes from 3D measurements of microstructurally small fatigue-crack propagation: 3D Meshes of Microstructurally Small Crack Growth]

In an effort to reproduce computationally the observed evolution of microstructurally small fatigue cracks (MSFCs), a method is presented for generating conformal, finite-element (FE), volume meshes from 3D measurements of MSFC propagation. The resulting volume meshes contain traction-free surfaces that conform to incrementally measured 3D crack shapes. Grain morphologies measured using near-field high-energy X-ray diffraction microscopy are also represented within the FE volume meshes. Proof-of-concept simulations are performed to demonstrate the utility of the mesh-generation method. The proof-of-concept simulations employ a crystal-plasticity constitutive model and are performed using the conformal FE meshes corresponding to successive crack-growth increments. Although the simulations for each crack increment are currently independent of one another, they need not be, and transfer of material-state information among successive crack-increment meshes is discussed. The mesh-generation method was developed using post-mortem measurements, yet it is general enough that it can be applied to in-situ measurements of 3D MSFC propagation.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Intriguing structures and magic sizes of heavy noble metal nanoclusters around size 55 governed by relativistic effect and covalent bonding

Nanoclusters usually display exotic physical and chemical properties due to their intriguing geometric structures in contrast to their bulk counterparts. By means of first-principles calculations within density functional theory, we find that heavy noble metal Pt{sub N} nanoclusters around the size N = 55 begin to prefer an open configuration, rather than previously reported close-packed icosahedron or core-shell structures. Particularly, for Pt{sub N}, the widely supposed icosahedronal magic cluster is changed to a three-atomic-layered structure with D{sub 6h} symmetry, which can be well addressed by our recently established generalized Wulff construction principle (GWCP). However, the magic number of Pt{sub N} clusters around 55 is shifted to a new odd number of 57. The high symmetric three-layered Pt{sub 57} motif is mainly stabilized by the enhanced covalent bonding contributed by both spin-orbital coupling effect and the open d orbital (5d{sup 9}6s{sup 1}) of Pt, which result in a delicate balance between the enhanced Pt–Pt covalent bonding of the interlayers and negligible d dangling bonds on the cluster edges. These findings about Pt{sub N} clusters are also applicable to Ir{sub N} clusters, but qualitatively different from their earlier neighboring element Os and their later neighboring element Au. The magic numbers for Os and Au are even, being 56 and 58, respectively. The findings of the new odd magic number 57 are the important supplementary of the recently established GWCP.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Tunable magnetization dynamics in disordered FePdPt ternary alloys: Effects of spin orbit coupling

The magnetization dynamics of disordered Fe₀.₅(Pd{sub 1–x}Pt{sub x})₀.₅ alloy films was studied by time-resolved magneto-optical Kerr effect and ferromagnetic resonance. The intrinsic Gilbert damping parameter α₀ and the resonance linewidth change linearly with the Pt atomic concentration. In particular, the induced in-plane uniaxial anisotropy constant K{sub U} also increases for x increasing from 0 to 1. All these results can be attributed to the tuning effect of the spin orbit coupling. For the disordered ternary alloys, an approach is proposed to control the induced in-plane uniaxial anisotropy, different from conventional thermal treat methods, which is helpful to design and fabrications of spintronic devices.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Tensile twin nucleation events coupled to neighboring slip observed in three dimensions

Low-symmetry crystals and polycrystals have anisotropic mechanical properties which, given better understanding of their deformation modes, could lead to development of next generation materials. Understanding how grains in a bulk polycrystal interact will guide and improve material modeling. In this work, we show that tensile twins, in hexagonal close-packed metals, form where the macroscopic stress does not generate appropriate shear stress and vice versa. We use non-destructive high-energy X-ray diffraction microscopy to map local crystal orientations in three dimensions in a series of tensile strain states in a zirconium polycrystal. Twins and intragranular orientation variations are observed and it is found that deformation-induced rotations in neighboring grains are spatially correlated with many twins. We conclude that deformation twinning involves complex multigrain interactions which must be included in polycrystal plasticity models.

3-D characterization↗

Intrinsic spin dependent and ferromagnetic stability on edge saturated zigzag graphene-like carbon-nitride nanoribbons

Using first-principles calculations, we have investigated the electronic and magnetic properties of zigzag graphene-like carbon-nitride nanoribbons (Zg-CNNRs) with mono- and dihydrogen-terminated edges asymmetrically. The results demonstrate that spin-down channel completely dominates the states adjacent Fermi level, which is an intrinsic feature and can be accounted for the valence band maximum derived from the nonbonding N-(p{sub x},p{sub y}) orbitals, instead of the bonding C/N-p{sub z} π state. Importantly, ferromagnetic ordering is found to be preferred and the magnetism is entirely localized on the N sites of saturated edge due to its stronger electronegativity. Additionally, various edge saturations are further proposed to try to enhance the ferromagnetic ordering and to manipulate the magnetism distributions of Zg-CNNRs.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗