Origins of the change in mechanical strength of silicon/gold nanocomposites during irradiation

Abstract Silicon-based layered nanocomposites, comprised of covalent-metal interfaces, have demonstrated elevated resistance to radiation. The amorphization of the crystalline silicon sublayer during irradiation and/or heating can provide an additional mechanism for accommodating irradiation-induced...

Descripción completa

Guardado en:
Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores principales: Elton Y. Chen, Cameron P. Hopper, Raghuram R. Santhapuram, Rémi Dingreville, Arun K. Nair
Formato: article
Lenguaje:EN
Publicado: Nature Portfolio 2021
Materias:
R
Q
Acceso en línea:https://doaj.org/article/11c0a6f284d542c09302fca0b664d055
Etiquetas: Agregar Etiqueta
Sin Etiquetas, Sea el primero en etiquetar este registro!
Descripción
Sumario:Abstract Silicon-based layered nanocomposites, comprised of covalent-metal interfaces, have demonstrated elevated resistance to radiation. The amorphization of the crystalline silicon sublayer during irradiation and/or heating can provide an additional mechanism for accommodating irradiation-induced defects. In this study, we investigated the mechanical strength of irradiated Si-based nanocomposites using atomistic modeling. We first examined dose effects on the defect evolution mechanisms near silicon-gold crystalline and amorphous interfaces. Our simulations reveal the growth of an emergent amorphous interfacial layer with increasing dose, a dominant factor mitigating radiation damage. We then examined the effect of radiation on the mechanical strength of silicon-gold multilayers by constructing yield surfaces. These results demonstrate a rapid onset strength loss with dose. Nearly identical behavior is observed in bulk gold, a phenomenon that can be rooted to the formation of radiation-induced stacking fault tetrahedra which dominate the dislocation emission mechanism during mechanical loading. Taken together, these results advance our understanding of the interaction between radiation-induced point defects and metal-covalent interfaces.