Phys.org May 17, 2018
Researchers in Japan have shown that when crystals of zinc sulfide are kept in the dark at room temperature, they deformed plastically without fracture until a large strain of 45%. The high plasticity was accompanied by a considerable decrease in the band gap of the deformed crystals increasing their electrical conductivity which may be controlled by mechanical deformation. According to the researchers the decreased band gap was caused by deformation introducing dislocations into the crystals, which changed their band structure. The findings open avenue to optimize the performance of inorganic semiconductors in electronics… read more. TECHNICAL ARTICLE
ZnS crystals can be plastically deformed up to a deformation strain of εt = 45 % when deformed along the [001] direction in complete darkness even at room temperature. Credit: Atsutomo Nakamura