Dynamic interactions between non-screw dislocations and stacking faults during in situ straining in a TEM

Highlights: • The interaction between non-screw dislocations and stacking faults were revealed in situ in a transmission electron microscope at the atomic scale. • Stacking faults impinged by lattice dislocations tend to shrink to form stair-rod dislocations. • Twin embryo can be generated due to the interaction between an intrinsic stacking fault with a lattice dislocation. -- Abstract: The atomic-scale evolution routes of stacking faults (SFs) interacting with non-screw dislocations were revealed by in situ tensile tests on Cu. SFs impinged by lattice dislocations tend to shrink to form stair-rod dislocations which may either be stable or unstable, depending on the dislocation reactions. Also, stacking fault can transform from intrinsic to extrinsic, which provides a new route of twin nucleation in face-centered cubic metals.