arXiv subjects

Alexander Frisch

Publications and source records attributed to Alexander Frisch.

6 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

A solid-solution approach for room-temperature bulk plasticity in KTa1-xNbxO3

Dislocations are being engineered into perovskite oxides to harvest versatile functional properties. One major bottleneck, however, persists: perovskite oxides that can be engineered with dislocations, particularly via mechanical deformation at room temperature in bulk scale, have so far been limited to only three materials: SrTiO3 (2001, Brunner et al.), KNbO3 (2016, Mark et al.), and KTaO3 (2024, Fang & Zhang et al.). Here, we propose a simple and effective approach by using solid solution to significantly extend the range of materials. We showcase KTa1-xNbxO3 (0<x<1) perovskite oxides for their bulk plasticity at room temperature by constructing a closed-loop validation workflow that includes crystal growth, Brinell indentation, bulk compression, and transmission electron microscopy characterization. Our findings are expected to unlock the materials toolbox for dislocation-tuned functionality of perovskite oxides.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2026

Oxygen Vacancies at Dislocation Core Modulate Plasticity in Strontium Titanate

Dislocation core chemistry in oxides critically influences mechanical behavior and functionality; yet the evolution of core chemistry during the dislocation motion in them has not been directly observed. Here, using SrTiO3 as a model material, we combine aberration-corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy and electron energy-loss spectroscopy with atomic-level molecular dynamics (MD) simulations to correlate the <110>{1-10} dislocation core structure, oxygen vacancy density, charge state, and mobility with each other. We find that the mechanically induced dislocation loops exhibit dissociated cores, whose oxygen vacancy density depends on the gliding distance: short loops are Ti-reduced and oxygen-deficient at the edge dislocation core, whereas longer loops remain close to stoichiometry in both the edge and screw components. MD simulations reveal that kink-assisted edge dislocation glide in SrTiO3 leaves oxygen-deficient trails behind, modulating the oxygen content inside the edge core. These results demonstrate that oxygen-vacancy evolution at the dislocation core intrinsically couples with plasticity in ionic crystals, suggesting a mechanism for oxygen vacancy-dependent dislocation mobility in plastically deformed oxides.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2025

A data-driven quest for room-temperature bulk plastically deformable ceramics

The growing number of ceramics exhibiting bulk plasticity at room temperature has renewed interest in revisiting plastic deformation and dislocation-mediated mechanical and functional properties in these materials. In this work, a data-driven approach is employed to identify the key parameters governing room-temperature bulk plasticity in ceramics. The model integrates an existing dataset of 55 ceramic materials, 38 plastically deformable and 17 brittle, and achieves accurate classification of bulk plasticity. The analysis reveals several key parameters essential for predicting bulk plasticity: i) Poisson's ratio and Pugh's ratio as macroscopic indicators reflecting the balance between shear and volumetric deformation resistance, and ii) Burgers vector, crystal structure and melting temperature as crystallographic descriptors associated with lattice geometry, slip resistance and thermal stability, and iii) Bader charge as a microscopic measure of bonding character. Together, these parameters define a multiscale descriptor space linking intrinsic materials properties to bulk room-temperature plasticity in ceramics, bridging the gap between empirical ductility criteria and atomistic mechanisms of dislocation-mediated plasticity. While preliminary, this study provides the first systematic, data-driven mapping of the governing factors of ceramic plasticity. The resulting framework establishes a foundation for unifying experimental and computational studies through shared datasets and descriptors, fostering collective progress toward understanding and designing intrinsically ductile ceramics.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2025

Dislocation response to electric fields in strontium titanate: A mesoscale indentation study

Dislocations in perovskite oxides have drawn increasing research interest due to their potential of tuning functional properties of electroceramics. Open questions remain regarding the behavior of dislocations concerning their stability under strong externally applied electric fields. In this study, we investigate the dielectric breakdown strength of nominally undoped SrTiO3 crystals after the introduction of high-density dislocations. The dislocation-rich samples are prepared using the Brinell scratching method, and they consistently exhibit lower dielectric breakdown strength as well as a larger scatter in the breakdown probability. We also study the impact of electric field on the introduction and movement of dislocations in SrTiO3 crystals using Brinell indentation coupled with an electric field of 2 kV/mm. No changes on the dislocation plastic zone size, depth, and dislocation distribution are observed under this electric field. Based on the charge state of the dislocations in SrTiO3 as well as the electrical and thermal conductivity modified by dislocations, we discuss the forces induced by the electric field to act on the dislocations to underline the possible mechanisms for such dislocation behavior.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2025

Room-temperature dislocation plasticity in ceramics: Methods, Materials, and Mechanisms

Dislocation-mediated plastic deformation in ceramic materials has sparked renewed research interest due to the technological potential of dislocations. Despite the long research history of dislocations as one-dimensional lattice defects in crystalline solids, the understanding of plastically deformable ceramics at room temperature seems lacking. The conventional view holds that ceramics are brittle, difficult to deform at room temperature and exhibit no dislocation plasticity except in small-scale testing such as nanoindentation and nano-micropillar compression. In this review, we attempt to gather the evidence and reports of room-temperature dislocation plasticity in ceramics beyond the nano-/microscale, with a focus on meso-macroscale plasticity. First, we present a mechanical deformation toolbox covering various experimental approaches for assessing the dislocation plasticity, with a focus on bulk plasticity. Second, we provide a materials toolbox listing 44 ceramic compounds that have been reported to exhibit dislocation plasticity at meso-/macroscale under ambient conditions. Finally, we discuss the mechanics of dislocations in ceramics, aiming to establish a foundation for predicting and discovering additional ceramics capable of room-temperature plastic deformation, thereby advancing the development of prospective dislocation-based technologies.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2024

Room-temperature bulk plasticity and tunable dislocation densities in KTaO3

We report room-temperature bulk plasticity mediated by dislocations in single-crystal cubic KTaO3, contrasting the conventional knowledge that single-crystal KTaO3 is susceptible to brittle cleavage. A mechanics-based combinatorial experimental approach using cyclic Brinell indentation, scratching, and uniaxial bulk compression consistently demonstrates room-temperature dislocation plasticity in KTaO3 from the mesoscale to the macroscale. This approach also delivers tunable dislocation densities and plastic zone sizes. Scanning transmission electron microscopy analysis underpins the activated slip system to be <110>{1-10}. Given the growing significance of KTaO3 as an emerging electronic oxide and the increasing interest in dislocations for tuning physical properties of oxides, our findings are expected to trigger synergistic research interest in KTaO3 with dislocations.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗