Stability of a Screw Dislocation in a 011 Copper Nanowire

Abstract

The stability of a screw dislocation in a free 011 copper nanowire is investigated using atomistic calculations. This study reveals a strong anisotropy of the Eshelby potential well (EPW) that traps the dislocation. Moreover the depth of the EPW is found to vanish when the radius of the nanowire decreases. It is demonstrated that this behavior is due to the dissociated state of the dislocation.