Highly ductile amorphous oxide at room temperature and high strain rate

• Published in: Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science) Vol. 366; no. 6467; pp. 864 - 869
• Main Authors: Frankberg, Erkka J, Kalikka, Janne, García Ferré, Francisco, Joly-Pottuz, Lucile, Salminen, Turkka, Hintikka, Jouko, Hokka, Mikko, Koneti, Siddardha, Douillard, Thierry, Le Saint, Bérangère, Kreiml, Patrice, Cordill, Megan J, Epicier, Thierry, Stauffer, Douglas, Vanazzi, Matteo, Roiban, Lucian, Akola, Jaakko, Di Fonzo, Fabio, Levänen, Erkki, Masenelli-Varlot, Karine
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States The American Association for the Advancement of Science 15.11.2019; American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
• Subjects: Aluminum; Aluminum oxide; Batteries; Creep (materials); Damage tolerance; Ductility; Electronic devices; Electronic equipment; Elongation; Engineering Sciences; Fractures; Glass; High strain rate; Low temperature; Room temperature; Thin films; Yield strength
• ISSN: 0036-8075; 1095-9203
• DOI: 10.1126/science.aav1254

Oxide glasses are an integral part of the modern world, but their usefulness can be limited by their characteristic brittleness at room temperature. We show that amorphous aluminum oxide can permanently deform without fracture at room temperature and high strain rate by a viscous creep mechanism. These thin-films can reach flow stress at room temperature and can flow plastically up to a total elongation of 100%, provided that the material is dense and free of geometrical flaws. Our study demonstrates a much higher ductility for an amorphous oxide at low temperature than previous observations. This discovery may facilitate the realization of damage-tolerant glass materials that contribute in new ways, with the potential to improve the mechanical resistance and reliability of applications such as electronic devices and batteries.