• Bahman Daneshian, Interface Modelling department, Institute of Surface Science, Helmholtz-Zentrum Hereon
• Daniel Hoeche
• Robert Meissner

At room temperature, under standard deformation conditions and usual sizes, ceramic materials behave brittle and fail without any plastic deformation [1]. In contrast, at small sizes, typically in submicron-scale, for a number of ceramic materials, a transition to an inelastic deformation is observed at quasi static compression test conditions [2-8]. Kendall [3, 4] initially demonstrated that submicron NaCl particles under quasi-static compressive loading can be deformed inelastically. More recently reported results illustrated that Alumina nanoparticles [5, 6], TiO2-anatase nanoparticles [2], MgO nanocubes [7], GaAs micropillars [8] and Silicon nanoparticles [9] can show inelastic deformation upon compression at room temperature. Some of the given examples define a critical size limit below which plasticity could occur [4, 10-13]. Such inelastic deformation of submicron ceramics under quasi static compression has been associated with dislocation-based plastic deformation [14] or twinning [15] mechanisms. Under shock wave or high strain rate compressions, also ceramics can show strain hardening and strain rate hardening behavior [16-18]. Although these high strain rate effects are mostly attributed to the generation and propagation of micro cracks, plastic deformation and possible phase transformations, the reported results are mixed and even controversial.

Therefore, this Mini Symposium aims to bring together leading academic scientists, researchers and research scholars working on fracture and cracking of submicron ceramic particles in order to obtain new or enhanced insights into fracture basics, cracking, energy balance, strain rate, structural evolutions, brittle to ductile transition and possible crack-closure hypothesis for designing the next generation of engineering ceramic materials.

Hence, any high-quality research on the mentioned topics is welcomed invited. The priority is given to the researches with application in the clean energy production and or storage, environmental and data informatic fields. Therefore, the applicants are requested to present their work in a suitable manner in at least one of these application contexts.

References:
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