Dislocations, or one-dimensional line defects, are one of the most fundamental defect types next to zero-dimensional point defects; two-dimensional planar defects, including grain boundaries; and three-dimensional defects, such as precipitates.

As the main carriers for plastic deformation in crystalline solids, dislocations have been extensively studied in metals, which have good deformability. Ceramics, in contrast, are perceived as brittle in the materials science community, exhibiting little or almost no dislocation plasticity at room temperature.