Non-basal plasticity in the μ-phase at room temperature

We unveil a new non-basal slip mechanism in the μ-phase at room temperature using nanomechanical testing, transmission electron microscopy and atomistic simulation. On the {11¯05} plane, planar faults with a displacement vector of 0.07〈5¯502〉 can be formed by dislocation glide. They do not disrupt the Frank-Kasper packing and therefore enable the accommodation of plastic strain at low temperatures without requiring atomic diffusion. The intersections between the {11¯05} planar faults and basal slip result in stress concentration and crack nucleation during loading.