A twin boundary in nm-sized gold contacts was sheared by using piezo-manipulation within a high-resolution transmission electron microscope, and the deformation was observed in situ at the atomic scale. The shearing induced sliding of the twin boundary, with simultaneous boundary migration. The relationship between sliding and migration was found to be in agreement with predictions based upon the coincidence-site-lattice model and the displacement-shift-complete theory.

Atomistic Process of Twin-Boundary Migration Induced by Shear Deformation in Gold. T.Kizuka: Japanese Journal of Applied Physics, 2007, 46, 7396-8