Special micromechanism of nanoscale amorphization (crystal-to-glass transition in nanoscale regions) in deformed nano- and polycrystalline materials was suggested and theoretically described. The nanoscale amorphization occurred through transformation of disclination quadrupoles generated during plastic deformation. It was shown that the nanoscale amorphization at disclination quadrupoles was energetically favorable in nano- and polycrystalline Si and Si3N4 deformed at high applied stresses in certain ranges of their structural parameters.

Nanoscale Amorphization at Disclination Quadrupoles in Deformed Nanomaterials and Polycrystals. S.V.Bobylev, I.A.Ovidko: Applied Physics Letters, 2008, 93[6], 061904