Nanoindentation and electron microscopy have been used to examine the length-scale-dependent stress relaxation mechanisms in well-annealed, high-purity indium at a homologous temperature of 0.69. The experimental methods, analysis, and observations serve as a stepping stone in identifying the stress relaxation mechanisms enabling the formation and growth of metallic dendrites originating at the buried interface between a metallic anode and a solid electrolyte separator. Indium's load-displacement data are found to be very similar to that of high-purity lithium. Residual hardness impressions show two distinct surface morphologies. Based on these morphologies, the measured hardness, and the estimated pile-up volume, it is proposed that residual impressions exhibiting significant pile-up are the result of deformation dominated by interface diffusion. Alternatively, impressions with no significant pile-up are taken to be the result of shear-driven dislocation glide. An analytical model is presented to rationalize the pile-up profile using interface diffusion.
© The Author(s), under exclusive licence to The Materials Research Society 2021.