Unravelling mechanisms for the formation of amorphous bands in B6O under nonhydrostatic pressure

Boron suboxide (B6O) with superhardness holds great promise for a wide range of practical applications, but suffers from a low fracture toughness due to the formation of unusual nanoscale amorphous bands. Understanding of the underlying deformation mechanisms in this material, however, has been hindered limited experimental evidences. Here we report the discovery of new mechanisms for the formation of amorphous bands in B6O under nonhydrostatic...