Dislocation-mediated shear amorphization in boron carbide

The failure of superhard materials is often associated with stress-induced amorphization. However, the underlying mechanisms of the structural evolution remain largely unknown. Here, we report the experimental measurements of the onset of shear amorphization in single-crystal boron carbide by nanoindentation and transmission electron microscopy. We verified that rate-dependent loading discontinuity, i.e., pop-in, in nanoindentation load-displacement curves results from the formation of nanosized amorphous bands via shear amorphization. Stochastic analysis of the pop-in events reveals an exceptionally small activation volume, slow nucleation rate, and lower activation energy of the shear amorphization, suggesting that the high-pressure structural transition is activated and initiated by dislocation nucleation. This dislocation-mediated amorphization has important implications in understanding the failure mechanisms of superhard materials at stresses far below their theoretical strengths.