Testing Mechanical Behavior At The Nanoscale Using Isolated Nanostructures

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Testing Mechanical Behavior at the Nanoscale Using Isolated NanostructuresR.C. Picu, Department of Mechanical, Aerospace and Nuclear Engineering,G.-C. Wang and T.-M. Lu, Department of Physics, Applied Physics and Astronomy.We propose an experimental study of the mechanical properties of elemental (Cu and W) specimens with nanoscale dimensions. We will use a new family of nanostructures grown by the oblique angle deposition technique that have been specially designed as test specimens. The nanostructures are in the form of isolated nanorods, nanobeams and nanosprings that are fixed at one end to a rigid substrate. They will be tested with the tip of an atomic force microscope (AFM) or a nanoindenter. The samples are designed to reproduce standard macroscopic tests in which a well-defined volume of material is loaded with a known stress state. We will investigate: the scaling of material properties (moduli, yield stress) and behavior (e.g. hardening) with the specimen size, whether solid solution hardening may be used to tailor mechanical properties in nanostructures, and the fatigue behavior. The proposal has a well-structured educational component and will have a broader impact in the field of MEMS and NEMS.