Most metallic elements have a crystal structure that is either body-centered cubic (bcc), face-centered close packed, or hexagonal close packed. If the bcc lattice is the thermodynamically most stable structure, the close-packed structures usually are dynamically unstable, i.e., have elastic constants violating the Born stability conditions or, more generally, have phonons with imaginary frequencies. Conversely, the bcc lattice tends to be dynamically unstable if the equilibrium structure is close packed. This striking regularity essentially went unnoticed until ab initio total-energy calculations in the 1990s became accurate enough to model dynamical properties of solids in hypothetical lattice structures. After a review of stability criteria, thermodynamic functions in the vicinity of an instability, Bain paths, and how instabilities may arise or disappear when pressure, temperature, and/or chemical composition is varied are discussed. The role of dynamical instabilities in the ideal strength of solids and in metallurgical phase diagrams is then considered, and comments are made on amorphization, melting, and low-dimensional systems. The review concludes with extensive references to theoretical work on the stability properties of metallic elements.

https://perssongroup.lbl.gov/papers/rmp2012-instabilities.pdf

Lattice instabilities in metallic elements

The self-assembly of lead sulfide nanocrystals into a body-centred cubic lattice can be tracked in real time by using in situ grazing-incidence X-ray scattering.

Kinetics of the self-assembly of nanocrystal superlattices measured by real-time in situ X-ray scattering

Despite intense research efforts by research groups worldwide, the potential of self-assembled nanocrystal superlattices (NCSLs) has not been realized due to an incomplete understanding of the fundamental molecular interactions governing the self-assembly process. Because NCSLs reside naturally at length-scales between atomic crystals and colloidal assemblies, synthetic control over the properties of constituent nanocrystal (NC) building blocks and their coupling in ordered assemblies is expected to yield a new class of materials with remarkable optical, electronic, and vibrational characteristics. Progress toward the formation of suitable test structures and subsequent development of NCSL-based technologies has been held back by the limited control over superlattice spacing and symmetry. Here we show that NCSL symmetry can be controlled by manipulating molecular interactions between ligands bound to the NC surface and the surrounding solvent. Specifically, we demonstrate solvent vapor-mediated NCSL symme...

Shape-anisotropy driven symmetry transformations in nanocrystal superlattice polymorphs.

The elastic strain sustainable in crystal lattices is usually limited by the onset of inelastic yielding mediated by discrete dislocation activity, displacive deformation twinning and stress-induced phase transformations, or fracture associated with flaws. Here we report a continuous and gradual lattice deformation in bending nickel nanowires to a reversible shear strain as high as 34.6%, which is approximately four times that of the theoretical elastic strain limit for unconstrained loading. The functioning deformation mechanism was revealed on the atomic scale by an in situ nanowire bending experiments inside a transmission electron microscope. The complete continuous lattice straining process of crystals has been witnessed in its entirety for the straining path, which starts from the face-centred cubic lattice, transitions through the orthogonal path to reach a body-centred tetragonal structure and finally to a re-oriented face-centred cubic structure.

/pdf/in-situ-atomic-scale-observation-of-continuous-and-27nk3zf2wl.pdf

In situ atomic-scale observation of continuous and reversible lattice deformation beyond the elastic limit

Many crystals, such as those of metals, can transform from one symmetry into another having lower free energy via a diffusionless transformation. Here we create binary colloidal crystals consisting of polymer microspheres, pulled together by DNA bridges, that induce specific, reversible attractions between two species of microspheres. Depending on the relative strength of the different interactions, the suspensions spontaneously form either compositionally ordered crystals with CsCl and CuAu-I symmetries, or disordered, solid solution crystals when slowly cooled. Our observations indicate that the CuAu-I crystals form from CsCl parent crystals by a diffusionless transformation, analogous to the Martensitic transformation of iron. Detailed simulations confirm that CuAu-I is not kinetically accessible by direct nucleation from the fluid, but does have a lower free energy than CsCl. The ease with which such structural transformations occur suggests new ways of creating unique metamaterials having structures that may be otherwise kinetically inaccessible.

/pdf/driving-diffusionless-transformations-in-colloidal-crystals-2f0ohj93bl.pdf

Driving diffusionless transformations in colloidal crystals using DNA handshaking

DURING the past few years several papers have been published on the nature of changes in carbon steel during the processes of quenching and tempering.

N. Seljakow

Papers

The Nature of Martensite