A special micromechanism for formation of nanoscale voids in deformed nanocrystalline materials is suggested and theoretically described. Within our description, the nanovoid nucleation represents a process driven by release of the elastic energy of disclination quadrupoles formed due to grain boundary splitting and migration. It is shown that the nanovoid nucleation at disclination quadrupoles occurs as an energetically favorable process in deformed nanocrystalline α-Al2O3 (sapphire), Si (silicon), and Ni (nickel) in wide ranges of their parameters. |
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