In situ transmission electron microscopic observations were made of the dynamic process of twin-boundary migration in Cu with nanoscale twins. These provided the first direct evidence of twin-boundary migration via Shockley partial dislocation emission from the twin-boundary/grain-boundary intersections, and revealed that such migration was the predominant deformation mechanism in the initial stages of plastic straining. The behaviour was considered in comparison with molecular dynamics simulations, and in terms of the unique characteristics of the sample microstructure.

In situ Observation of Twin Boundary Migration in Copper with Nanoscale Twins during Tensile Deformation. Y.B.Wang, M.L.Sui, E.Ma: Philosophical Magazine Letters, 2007, 87[12], 935-42