C.E. Wehrenberg

Directional amorphization of boron carbide subjected to laser shock compression

Significance When crystalline solids are stressed quasi-statically, dislocation slip, twinning, and phase transformations are the predominant mechanisms to dissipate the imparted elastic energy. Under shock, high hydrostatic and shear stresses promptly build up at the shock front, favoring fast energy dissipation mechanisms. Amorphization, which may only involve localized atomic arrangements, is therefore an additional potential candidate. Shock-induced amorphization has now been reported in various materials and hence should be incorporated as a deformation/damage mechanism of crystals subjected to high-strain-rate loading. Solid-state shock-wave propagation is strongly nonequilibrium in nature and hence rate dependent. Using high-power pulsed-laser-driven shock compression, unprecedented high strain rates can be achieved; here we report the directional amorphization in boron carbide polycrystals. At a shock pressure of 45∼50 GPa, multiple planar faults, slightly deviated from maximum shear direction, occur a few hundred nanometers below the shock surface. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy reveals that these planar faults are precursors of directional amorphization. It is proposed that the shear stresses cause the amorphization and that pressure assists the process by ensuring the integrity of the specimen. Thermal energy conversion calculations including heat transfer suggest that amorphization is a solid-state process. Such a phenomenon has significant effect on the ballistic performance of B4C.

Generating gradient germanium nanostructures by shock-induced amorphization and crystallization

Significance Amorphization and nanocrystallization are two powerful methods to tailor material properties by altering their microstructure without changing the overall chemistry. Using powerful laser-driven shocks, we demonstrate that amorphization and nanocrystallization can be achieved within a time scale that is considerably shorter than other conventional techniques. Our results provide compelling insights into pressure/shear amorphization and propose a route to fabricate gradient semiconducting nanostructures using lasers. Additionally, shear-driven amorphization is demonstrated as the dominant deformation mechanism in this extreme regime. Gradient nanostructures are attracting considerable interest due to their potential to obtain superior structural and functional properties of materials. Applying powerful laser-driven shocks (stresses of up to one-third million atmospheres, or 33 gigapascals) to germanium, we report here a complex gradient nanostructure consisting of, near the surface, nanocrystals with high density of nanotwins. Beyond there, the structure exhibits arrays of amorphous bands which are preceded by planar defects such as stacking faults generated by partial dislocations. At a lower shock stress, the surface region of the recovered target is completely amorphous. We propose that germanium undergoes amorphization above a threshold stress and that the deformation-generated heat leads to nanocrystallization. These experiments are corroborated by molecular dynamics simulations which show that supersonic partial dislocation bursts play a role in triggering the crystalline-to-amorphous transition.

Inferring Strength of Tantalum from Hydrodynamic Instability Recovery Experiments

Hydrodynamic instability experiments allow access to material properties at extreme conditions, where strain rates exceed 105 s−1 and pressures reach 100 GPa. Current hydrodynamic instability experimental methods require in-flight radiography to image the instability growth at high pressure and high strain rate, limiting the facilities where these experiments can be performed. An alternate approach, recovering the sample after loading, allows measurement of the instability growth with profilometry. Tantalum samples were manufactured with different 2D and 3D initial perturbation patterns and dynamically compressed by a blast wave generated by laser ablation. The samples were recovered from peak pressures between 30 and 120 GPa and strain rates on the order of 107 s−1, providing a record of the growth of the perturbations due to hydrodynamic instability. These records are useful validation points for hydrocode simulations using models of material strength at high strain rate. Recovered tantalum samples were analyzed, providing an estimate of the strength of the material at high pressure and strain rate.