Potassium dihydrogen phosphate(KDP)crystals are widely used in laser ignition facilities as optical switching and frequency conversion components.These crystals are soft,brittle,and sensitive to external conditions(e.g.,humidity,temperature,and applied stress).Hence,conventional characterization methods,such as transmis-sion electron microscopy,cannot be used to study the mechanisms of material deformation.Nevertheless,understanding the mechanism of plastic-brittle transition in KDP crystals is important to prevent the fracture damage during the machining process.This study explores the plastic deformation and brittle fracture mechanisms of KDP crystals through nanoindentation experiments and theoretical calculations.The results show that dislocation nucleation and propagation are the main mechanisms of plastic deformation in KDP crystals,and dislocation pileup leads to brittle fracture during nanoindentation.Nanoin-dentation experiments using various indenters indicate that the external stress fields influence the plastic deformation of KDP crystals,and plastic deformation and brittle frac-ture are related to the material's anisotropy.However,the