Buckling of Nanostructures

本项目将实验、建模和仿真相结合，研究纳米尺度下的屈曲力学行为。目的是将纳米级屈曲结构的实验观察与纳米级材料的力学性能联系起来。因此，该项目将为纳米结构和材料的表征开辟一条新的方法路线。具体来说，将研究纳米尺度上三种有趣的屈曲现象，包括聚合物纳米线的膨胀诱导屈曲，单晶硅纳米线在压痕下的屈曲以及垂直排列的碳纳米管的协同屈曲。研究团队包括两名在实验和建模方面具有互补专长的pi。已经与国家标准与技术研究所的一个实验小组建立了合作，研究聚合物纳米线，特别感兴趣的是纳米尺度上三维约束对聚合物膨胀和变形的影响。将进行纳米压痕和压缩试验，研究平行硅纳米线和垂直排列的碳纳米管的相互作用以及纳米尺度下的接触、摩擦和断裂性能。该项目的研究将促进对纳米尺度机械行为的基本理解，这对于工程应用的纳米结构的发展至关重要，因此对纳米科学和纳米技术具有更广泛的影响。教育活动将纳入研究项目，以增强其社会影响，其中包括培训研究生和本科生以及向代表性不足的群体伸出援手。研究成果将广泛传播给学术界和公众。

This project integrates experiments, modeling and simulations to study buckling mechanical behavior at the nanometer scales. The objective is to correlate experimental observations of buckling nanometer-sized structures to mechanical properties of materials at the nanoscale. As a result, this project will open a new line of methodology for characterization of nanoscale structures and materials. Specifically, three intriguing buckling phenomena at the nanoscale will be investigated, including swell-induced buckling of polymer nanolines, buckling of single crystal silicon nanolines under indentation, and cooperative buckling of vertically aligned carbon nanotubes. The research team includes two PIs with complementary expertise in experimental and modeling, respectively. Collaboration has been established with an experimental group at National Institute for Standards and Technology for the study of polymer nanolines, with a particular interest in the effects of three-dimensional confinement at the nanoscale on the swelling and deformation of polymers. Nanoindentation and compression tests will be conducted to study the interactions of parallel Si nanolines and vertically aligned carbon nanotubes along with the properties of contact, friction, and fracture at the nanoscale.The research from this project will advance fundamental understanding of mechanical behavior at the nanoscale, which is critically important in the development of nanostructures for engineering applications and thus has a broader impact on nanoscience and nanotechnology. Education activities will be incorporated within the research project to enhance its societal impacts, which include training of graduate and undergraduate students and outreach to underrepresented groups. The research results will be broadly disseminated to the academic community as well as the general public.