<i>In situ</i> Transmission Electron Microscopy Investigation of Electroplasticity in Single Crystal Nickel

In situ Transmission Electron Microscopy (in TEM) tensile tests of single crystal nickel were performed in order to correlate direct observations of nanostructural changes resulting from applied mechanical and electrical stimuli an effort provide clarity on the mechanisms of electroplasticity (EP). A dual-tensile geometry was tested with push-to-pull device (EPTP) digital image correlation (DIC) used track the location dislocation nucleation along sample surface. By analyzing change precisely we are able directly individual motion as a result combined electromechanical actuation. From our observations, pulsed current leads more uniform deformation compared purely mechanically triggered plasticity. When is undergoing stable plastic deformation, delays formation stress concentration distributes uniformly. Our analysis finds that enhancement surface electron wind force likely than Joule heating be origin plasticity observed during pulsing.