ATOMISTIC VISUALIZATION OF MECHANICAL INTERACTION IN GOLD CRYSTALLINEBOUNDARIES BY TIME-RESOLVED HIGH-RESOLUTION TRANSMISSION ELECTRON-MICROSCOPY

The atomic processes in mechanical interaction were visualized by time -resolved high resolution transmission electron microscopy at a spatia l resolution of 0.2 nm and a time resolution of 1/60 s. Nanometer-size d tips of gold were approached., contacted, bonded, deformed and fract ured inside a 200 kV electron microscope using a piezo-driving specime n holder. The crystallographic boundary formed after the contact. A fe w layers near the surfaces and bonding boundaries were responsible for the approach, contact and bonding processes. Atomic scale mechanical tests, such as the friction test, compressing, tensile and shear defor mation tests, were proposed. A new type of mechanical processing at on e-atomic-layer resolution was demonstrated. Atomic scale contact or no ncontact type surface scanning similar to that in atomic force microsc opy was also performed with the gold tips.