| Abstract Scope |
As the nanodevices scaling down, metallic nanomaterials often suffer from extreme electrical field, resulting in severe structural relaxation and degradation. However, the origin of electroplasticity remains an open question. By decoupling the electron wind force, we investigate the defect dynamics in Au nanocrystals by in situ TEM electropulsing. We reveal a non-directional migration of Σ3{112} incoherent twin boundary upon electropulsing. Quantitative analyses demonstrate that such exceptional incoherent twin boundary migration is governed by the electron-dislocation interaction that enhances the atom vibration at dislocation cores, rather than driven by the electron wind force. We further employed the electropulsing to tailor the inherent structural heterogeneity of metallic glasses and realized a brittle-to-ductile transition in monatomic Ta glass. These observations provide valuable insights into the origin of electroplasticity in metallic nanomaterials at the atomic level, which are of scientific and technological significances to understand the electrical damage/failure in nanodevices. |