Void-assisted plasticity in Ag nanowires with a single twin structure.

By employing the in situ transmission electron microscopy (TEM) technique, tensile deformation behaviors of a silver nanowire (NW) with a single twin structure were studied. Our observations revealed that the initial stage of plastic deformation was dominated by surface-mediated partial dislocation activities. Strikingly, the void formation and growth were shown to govern the later stage of plasticity, leading to the ductile type of fracture in NWs. Possible void nucleation and growth mechanisms were discussed. Additionally, TEM images show the transformation from bi-crystal to polycrystal in the fracture area, likely due to the void activity. Our results have implications in the assembly of functional structures applying nano-building blocks.