Keywordscrystal hardness; nanoindentations; dislocations; contact mechanics; indentation plasticity; plastic anisotropy; stress–strain characterizations; indentation fracture mechanics; mechanical properties; hardness; indentation; plasticity; density functional theory; hardness; electronic property; optical properties; nanoindentation; residual stress; plastic deformation; molecular dynamics; NiMnGa; mechanical anisotropy; nanoindentation; hardness; modulus; nanoindentation; molecular dynamics; hardness; indentation; mechanical properties; hardness; nanoscale; experiment; modelling; nanoindentation; size effect; atomistic simulation; dislocation; grain boundary; nanoindentation; hardness; plasticity; organic crystals; fracture; deformation; single crystal; germanium; nanoindentation; phase transformation; crystal defect; cyclic load; nanoindentation; molecular crystals; mechanical properties; hardness; elastic modulus; fracture; protein crystal; lysozyme crystal; indentation; hardness; dislocation; intracrystalline water; relative humidity; Peierls stress; slip; X-ray diffraction imaging; Raman spectroscopy; indentation geometry; plastic deformation; crack generation; plastic deformation strain imaging; Vickers hardness; diamond; cBN; atomic force microscopy; Raman spectroscopy; nanoindentation; multiscale simulation; wedged indenter; dislocation nucleation and emission; size effect of hardness during indentation; titanium; digital image correlation; detwinning; twin-grain boundary interactions; plastic deformation; nanoindentation; pile-up effect; grain size; dislocation motion; grain boundary activities; curved crystals; surface damaged crystals; dislocation generation; crystal indentation; thin film; nanoindentation; strain rate sensitivity; deformation mechanisms; WC-CO cemented carbide materials; Vickers hardness; Palmqvist indentation cracks; indentation toughness; linear elastic fracture mechanics toughness, KIC, GIC; plastic deformation; dislocation mechanisms; nonlinear dynamical approach; intermittent plastic flow; indentation hardness
