Influence of the elastic deformations on the form factor of polyhedral nanocrystals: the illustrative example of the pseudomorphic inclusion

Abstract

Using an analytically tractable example, the pseudomorphic inclusion, this article examines the influence of elastic deformations on the form factor of polyhedral nanocrystals. A control parameter, the total amplitude of the variation of the complex density phase, is identified and it is shown that for low enough deformations the characteristic asymptotic behaviours as a function of the scattering vector associated with the polyhedral crystal shape are preserved, leading to a strong contrast in the dependence of the form factor on orientation. Using the sections method, it is explained why these results can be generalized to more realistic elastic situations.