Mechanical properties and defect chemistry

A brief overview of changes in mechanical properties of solids driven by the chemistry of point defects is given. Two major types of effects are considered: direct effects caused by non-interacting point defects and collective effects induced by interacting point defects. The first group includes (1) changes in the linear dimensions of a solid in response to a change in defect concentration and (2) stress induced due to an inhomogeneous distribution of point defects, a so-called chemical stress. The second group includes (1) defect order-disorder transitions accompanied by self-strain and (2) deviations from linear elastic behavior due to the dissociation/association of point defects. All of the above become important if the concentration of point defects is very high (above 10(21) cm(-3)). These effects may lead to significant anomalies in mechanical properties: spontaneous stress and strain and changes in elastic constants. These effects may significantly affect the application of materials with a large concentration of point defects. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.