Compression experiments of the brittle MAX phase Ti₂AlN were performed under confining gas pressure at room temperature. Subsequently, a complete dislocation analysis was performed by transmission electron microscopy. In particular, the Burgers vectors and the dislocation lines were studied via the weak beam technique: dislocation reactions are reported for the first time in a MAX phase, as well as dipole interactions. Footprints of a high lattice friction were also observed. All these features point towards classical dislocation activity, eventually leading to hardening.

Ti₂AlN nanolayered ternary alloy has been plastically deformed under confining pressure at 900°C. The dislocation configurations of the deformed material have been analyzed by transmission electron microscopy. The results show a drastic evolution compared to the dislocation configurations observed in the Ti₂AlN samples deformed at room temperature. In particular, they evidence out-of-basal-plane dislocations and interactions. Moreover numerous cross-slip events from basal plane to prismatic or pyramidal planes are observed. These original results are discussed in the context of the Brittle-to-Ductile Transition of the nanolayered ternary alloys.

Nowadays Field Emission Gun-Scanning Electron Microscopes provide detailed crystallographic information with high spatial and angular resolutions, and allow direct observation of crystalline defects, such as dislocations, through an attractive technique called Electron Channeling Contrast Imaging (ECCI). Dislocations play a crucial role in the properties of materials and ECCI has naturally emerged as an adapted tool for characterizing defects in bulk specimen. Nevertheless, fine control of the channeling conditions is absolutely required to get strong dislocation contrast for achieving comprehensive analysis. In this work, experiment-assisted fundamental aspects of the origin of dislocation contrast are studied. Experimentally, the potential of ECCI is explored in several dislocation configurations in Interstitial-Free steel (Fe − 1% Si) used as a model material. Full interpretations of dislocation contrast in (g, −g) and its evolution along the Kikuchi band are shown. Furthermore, a dislocation dipole is observed and fully characterized for the first time in an SEM.

In situ compression tests combined with neutron diffraction were performed on Ti2AlN MAX polycrystals with lamellar anisotropic microstructure: the diffraction peak evolution (position and profile) with applied stress reveals that lamellar grains parallel to compression axis remain elastic while lamellar grains perpendicular to compression plastify, both families being subjected to strong variations of heterogeneous strains (types II and III). We demonstrate that this behavior originates from the complex response of the very anisotropic lamellar microstructure and explains the observation of reversible hysteretic loops when cycling MAX polycrystals even in the elastic regime.

In this study, we determined the core structure and the Peierls stress of dislocations in Ti₂AlN MAX phase. We use a generalized Peierls–Nabarro model, called Peierls–Nabarro–Galerkin (PNG), coupled with first principles calculations of generalized stacking fault (GSF). The GSF calculations show that dislocation glide in the basal plane will occur preferentially between M (here Ti) and A (here Al) planes. Additionally, the results of PNG calculations demonstrate that whatever the dislocation character, dislocations are dissociated in the basal plane, with a dissociation distance below the experimental resolution of transmission electron microscopy observations. Finally, the Peierls stress calculations show that the edge and screw characters are the easiest characters to glide in the basal plane.