Untangling dislocation and grain boundary mediated plasticity in nanocrystalline nickel

Nanocrystalline (nc) materials possess unique mechanical properties, such as very high strength. However, an understanding of the deformation mechanisms and the succession of related microscopic processes that occur during deformation is still incomplete. We used synchrotron-based in situ compression testing to investigate the sequence of deformation mechanisms emerging in bulk nc nickel with a grain size of 30 nm. The study was accompanied by high-resolution grain size analysis and crystal orientation mapping using transmission electron microscopy. Regardless of the initial microstructure, the deformation behavior of electrodeposited nc Ni is initiated by inhomogeneous elastic lattice straining and its accommodation within the grain boundary network, followed by the onset of dislocation plasticity, which was inferred from texture evolution, and stress-driven grain growth. This observation indicates that deformation in nc metals is governed by a succession of different, partly overlapping mechanisms. It is estimated that intragranular dislocation plasticity contributes only about 40% to the overall deformation.