In situ transmission electron microscopy tensile experiments were carried out to investigate lattice dislocation and twin boundary interaction in Cu with nanoscale growth twins. Results show that extended dislocations form inside thick twin lamellas and slip toward twin boundaries. The extended dislocations shrink, combine, and re-dissociate when they pass through twin boundaries, leaving behind de-twinning partial dislocations at the twin boundaries. The mechanism of the observed dislocation/ twin-boundary interactions and the effect of the mechanism on mechanical properties were discussed.

Atomic-Scale in situ Observation of Lattice Dislocations Passing Through Twin Boundaries. Y.B.Wang, M.L.Sui: Applied Physics Letters, 2009, 94[2], 021909