Premelting occurs at 2D faults – Nature Nanotechnology

Using ABX3-type BaCeO₃ as a model ionic crystal, the researchers systematically follow the structural evolution of a post-annealed polycrystalline sample at various temperatures below the melting point. They obtain atomic-scale high-angle annular dark-field images from samples annealed at 1400°C (I, II, III) and 1500°C (IV) and observe premelting at a 2D fault (Fig. 1). The Ba columns in the BaO layer at the fault plane are clearly visible as blue closed circles. However, as temperature increases, there is a significant loss of column contrast as shown by the blue open circle. Premelting also occurs in a layer-by-layer manner, starting at the 2D fault made up of consecutive BaO layers and then extending to the nearest CeO₂ layers. “We know that many editors do not like the phrase ‘for the first time’, but our observations in this study are the first atomic-scale experimental evidence directly proving premelting initiating inside a crystal,” says Sung-Yoon Chung from the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology in Daejeon and corresponding author of the paper.

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• Source: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41565-023-01426-y