Crystallographic nature of deformation bands shown in Zn and Mg-based long-period stacking ordered (LPSO) phase

Formation of curious deformation bands has been reported as one of the deformation mechanisms occurring in an Mg-based long-period stacking ordered (LPSO) phase. The origin of the deformation band is still unknown, and the possibility of the deformation kink band and/or the deformation twin has been discussed. To clarify this, the crystallographic nature of deformation bands formed in the LPSO phase was examined by scanning electron microscope–electron backscatter diffraction (SEM-EBSD) pattern analysis. The results were compared to those of the deformation kink bands formed in hcp-Zn and deformation twins formed in hcp-Mg polycrystals. The deformation bands in the LPSO phase was confirmed not to exhibit a fixed crystal orientation relationship with respect to the matrix, different from the case shown in the deformation twin. Instead, the deformation band in the LPSO phase showed three arbitrariness on its crystallographic nature: an ambiguous crystal rotation axis that varied on the 0 0 0 1] zone axis from band to band; an arbitral crystal rotation angle that was not fixed and showed relatively wide distributions; and a variation in crystal rotation angle depending on the position even within a deformation band boundary itself. These features were coincident with those observed in the deformation bands formed in Zn polycrystals, suggesting that the formed deformation bands in LPSO phase crystals are predominantly deformation kink bands.