Elasticity and yield strength of pentagonal silver nanowires: In situ bending tests

This paper reports in situ mechanical characterization of silver nanowires (Ag NWs) inside a scanning electron microscope using a cantilevered beam bending technique. Measurements consisted in controlled bending of a cantilevered NW by the tip of an atomic force microscope glued to the force sensor. Relatively high degree of elasticity followed by either plastic deformation or fracture was observed in bending experiments. Experimental data were numerically fitted into the model based on the elastic beam theory and values of Young modulus and yield strength were extracted. Measurements were performed on twenty Ag NWs with diameters from 76 nm to 211 nm. Average Young modulus and yield strength were found to be 90 GPa and 4.8 GPa respectively. In addition, fatigue tests with several millions of cycles were performed and high fatigue resistance of Ag NWs was demonstrated.     

Mechanical elasticity of vapour-liquid-solid grown GaN nanowires

Mechanical elasticity of hexagonal wurtzite GaN nanowires with hexagonal cross sections grown through a vapour-liquid-solid (VLS) method was investigated using a three-point bending method with a digital-pulsed force mode (DPFM) atomic force microscope (AFM). In a diameter range of 57-135?nm, bending deflection and effective stiffness, or spring constant, profiles were recorded over the entire length of end-supported GaN nanowires and compared to the classic elastic beam models. Profiles reveal that the bending behaviour of the smallest nanowire (57.0?nm in diameter) is as a fixed beam, while larger nanowires (89.3-135.0?nm in diameter) all show simple-beam boundary conditions. Diameter dependence on the stiffness and elastic modulus are observed for these GaN nanowires. The GaN nanowire of 57.0?nm diameter displays the lowest stiffness (0.98?N?m(-1)) and the highest elastic modulus (400 ± 15?GPa). But with increasing diameter, elastic modulus decreases, while stiffness increases. Elastic moduli for most tested nanowires range from 218 to 317?GPa, which approaches or meets the literature values for bulk single crystal and GaN nanowires with triangular cross sections from other investigators. The present results together with further tests on plastic and fracture processes will provide fundamental information for the development of GaN nanowire devices.     

Non-destructive Evaluations of Gallium Nitride Nanowires

We have calculated the second and third order elastic constants of GaN nanowires at room temperature validating the interaction potential model. The ultrasonic attenuation and velocity in the nanowires are determined using the non-linear elastic constants for different diameters (97 nm -160 nm) of the wires at the nanoscale. Where possible, the results are compared with the experiments. Finally we established the correlation between the size dependent thermal conductivity and the ultrasonic attenuation of the nanowires.     

Diameter-dependent electromechanical properties of GaN nanowires

The diameter-dependent Young's modulus, E, and quality factor, Q, of GaN nanowires were measured using electromechanical resonance analysis in a transmission electron microscope. E is close to the theoretical bulk value ( approximately 300 GPa) for a large diameter nanowire (d=84 nm) but is significantly smaller for smaller diameters. At room temperature, Q is as high as 2,800 for d=84 nm, significantly greater than what is obtained from micromachined Si resonators of comparable surface-to-volume ratio. This implies significant advantages of smooth-surfaced GaN nanowire resonators for nanoelectromechanical system (NEMS) applications. Two closely spaced resonances are observed and attributed to the low-symmetry triangular cross section of the nanowires.     

Elastic property of vertically aligned nanowires

An atomic force microscopy (AFM) based technique is demonstrated for measuring the elastic modulus of individual nanowires/nanotubes aligned on a solid substrate without destructing or manipulating the sample. By simultaneously acquiring the topography and lateral force image of the aligned nanowires in the AFM contacting mode, the elastic modulus of the individual nanowires in the image has been derived. The measurement is based on quantifying the lateral force required to induce the maximal deflection of the nanowire where the AFM tip was scanning over the surface in contact mode. For the [0001] ZnO nanowires/nanorods grown on a sapphire surface with an average diameter of 45 nm, the elastic modulus is measured to be 29 +/- 8 GPa.     

Measurement of the bending strength of vapor-liquid-solid grown silicon nanowires

The fracture strength of silicon nanowires grown on a [111] silicon substrate by the vapor-liquid-solid process was measured. The nanowires, with diameters between 100 and 200 nm and a typical length of 2 microm, were subjected to bending tests using an atomic force microscopy setup inside a scanning electron microscope. The average strength calculated from the maximum nanowire deflection before fracture was around 12 GPa, which is 6% of the Young's modulus of silicon along the nanowire direction. This value is close to the theoretical fracture strength, which indicates that surface or volume defects, if present, play only a minor role in fracture initiation.     

A study of the size-dependent elastic properties of ZnO nanowires and nanotubes

We present our calculations of the Young's modulus of ZnO nanowires and nanotubes by using the empirical Buckingham-type potential. Our results indicate that the Young's moduli of ZnO nanowires increase as the diameters decrease, and the Young's moduli of ZnO nanotubes increase as the thicknesses decrease. Furthermore, we find that such size-dependent elastic properties mainly arise from the lateral facets of the nanowires and nanotubes. In particular, for a ZnO nanotube with a thin wall, the Coulomb interaction between the ions of the outer and inner atomic layers plays an important role in the Young's moduli of the surface atomic layers.     

Mechanical properties of microwave hydrothermally synthesized titanate nanowires

In this investigation titanate nanowires were synthesized by a microwave hydrothermal process and their nanomechanical characterization was carried out by a compression experiment via buckling instability using a nanomanipulator inside a scanning electron microscope. Nanowires of diameters 120-150?nm and length tens of microns can be synthesized by keeping a commercial nanoparticle inside a microwave oven at 350?W and 210?°C for 5?h. The nanowire was clamped between two cantilevered AFM tips attached to two opposing stages of the manipulator for nanomechanical characterization. The elasticity coefficients of the titanate nanowires were measured by applying a continuously increasing load and observing the buckling instability of the nanowires. The buckling behavior of a nanowire was analyzed from the series of SEM images of displacement of the cantilever attached to the nanowire due to application of load. The critical loads for different sized titanate nanowires were determined and their corresponding Young's modulus was computed with the Euler pinned-fixed end model. The Young's modulus of these microwave hydrothermal process synthesized titanate nanowires were determined to be approximately in the range 14-17?GPa. This investigation confirms the capability of the nanomanipulator via the buckling technique as a constructive device for measuring the mechanical properties of nanoscale materials.     

Growth of silicon nanowires of controlled diameters by electrodeposition in ionic liquid at room temperature

Silicon nanowires were fabricated for the first time by electrochemical template synthesis at room temperature. This innovative, cheap, and simple process consists of electroreduction of Si ions using a nonaqueous solvent and insulating nanoporous membranes with average pore diameters from 400 to 15 nm which fix the nanowires diameters. Characterization techniques such as scanning and transmission electron microscopies, infrared absorption measurements, X-ray diffraction experiments, energy dispersive X-ray, and Raman spectrometries show that the as-deposited silicon nanowires are amorphous, composed of pure Si and homogeneous in sizes with average diameters and lengths well matching with the nanopores' diameters and the thicknesses of the membranes. Thanks to annealing treatments, it is possible to crystallize the Si nanowires, demonstrating the potentiality for this innovative electrochemical process to obtain a wide range of Si nanowires with well controlled diameters and lengths.     

Elasticity size effects in ZnO nanowires--a combined experimental-computational approach

Understanding the mechanical properties of nanowires made of semiconducting materials is central to their application in nano devices. This work presents an experimental and computational approach to unambiguously quantify size effects on the Young's modulus, E, of ZnO nanowires and interpret the origin of the scaling. A micromechanical system (MEMS) based nanoscale material testing system is used in situ a transmission electron microscope to measure the Young's modulus of [0001] oriented ZnO nanowires as a function of wire diameter. It is found that E increases from approximately 140 to 160 GPa as the nanowire diameter decreases from 80 to 20 nm. For larger wires, a Young's modulus of approximately 140 GPa, consistent with the modulus of bulk ZnO, is observed. Molecular dynamics simulations are carried out to model ZnO nanowires of diameters up to 20 nm. The computational results demonstrate similar size dependence, complementing the experimental findings, and reveal that the observed size effect is an outcome of surface reconstruction together with long-range ionic interactions.     

Large elastic strains and ductile necking of W nanowires embedded in TiNi matrix

The deformation behaviors of W nanowires embedded in a TiNi matrix were investigated by means of in-situ synchrotron high energy X-ray diffraction(HEXRD) and in-situ transmission electron microscopy(TEM) analysis during tensile deformation.The HEXRD measurement indicated that the W nanowires exhibited an average lattice strain of about 1.50 %,whereas the TEM examination revealed a local elastic strain of about 4.59 % in areas adjacent to the TiNi matrix where stress-induced martensitic transfo rmation occurred.This strain corresponds to a stress of ~15 GPa for the W nanowires.In addition,in areas adjacent to the TiNi matrix where plastic deformation and cracking were generated,the W nanowire showed significant ductile necking with ~80 % reduction in cross-section area.The ductile necking of W nanowire is attributed to the lack of protection from the stress-induced martensitic transformation of the TiNi matrix.     

Modeling microarchitecture and mechanical behavior of nacre using 3D finite element techniques Part I Elastic properties

Three dimensional finite element models of nacre were constructed based on reported microstructural studies on the 'brick and mortar' micro-architecture of nacre. 3D eight noded isoparametric brick elements were used to design the microarchitecture of nacre. Tensile tests were simulated using this model. The tests were conducted at low stresses of 2 MPa which occur well within the elastic regime of nacre and thus effects related to locus and extent of damage were ignored. Our simulations show that using the reported values of elastic moduli of organic (0.005 GPa) and aragonitic platelets (205 GPa), the displacements observed in nacre are extremely large and correspond to a very low modulus of 0.011 GPa. The reported elastic modulus of nacre is of the order of 50 GPa. The reason for this inconsistency may arise from two possibilities. Firstly, the organic layer due to its multilayered structure is possibly composed of distinct layers of different elastic moduli. The continuously changing elastic modulus within the organic layer may approach modulus of aragonite near the organic-inorganic interface. Simulations using variable elastic moduli for the organic phase suggest that an elastic modulus of 15 GPa is consistent with the observed elastic behavior of nacre. Another explanation for the observed higher elastic modulus may arise from localized platelet-platelet contact. Since the observed modulus of nacre lies within the above two extremes (i.e. 15 GPa and 205 GPa) it is suggested that a combination of the two possibilities, i.e. a higher modulus of the organic phase near the organic-inorganic interface and localized platelet-platelet contact can result in the observed elastic properties of nacre.     

溶胶凝胶模板法制备In2O3纳米线及其气敏性能

以InCl3·4H2O和乙二胺为原料,采用溶胶凝胶模板法合成了立方晶系的In2O3纳米线,利用X射线衍射仪、扫描电镜、透射电镜对材料的组成、形貌、晶粒的大小、直径进行了表征,结果表明,产物是直径为80-100nm,晶粒直径为4-10 nm的纳米线。用产物In2O3纳米线制备气敏元件,气敏测试结果显示,合成的In2O3纳米线对NO2具有很高的灵敏度,器件的最佳工作温度为360 ℃。     

Pressure-induced structural phase transformations in silicon nanowires

High-pressure structural behavior of silicon nanowires is investigated up to approximately 22 GPa using angle dispersive X-ray diffraction measurements. Silicon nanowires transform from the cubic to the beta-tin phase at 7.5-10.5 GPa, to the Imma phase at approximately 14 GPa, and to the primitive hexagonal structure at approximately 16.2 GPa. On complete release of pressure, it transforms to the metastable R8 phase. The observed sequence of phase transitions is the same as that of bulk silicon. Though the X-ray diffraction experiments do not reveal any size effect, the pressure dependence of Raman modes shows that the behavior of nanowires is in between that of the bulk crystal and porous Si.     

Catalyst-free synthesis, structural, and mechanical characterization of twinned Mg2B2O5 nanowires

Mg2B2O5 nanowires with (010) twins were synthesized for the first time using a catalyst-free method. The microstructure of the Mg2B2O5 nanowires has been extensively studied by cross-sectional high-resolution transmission electron microscopy. Nanoindentation tests were performed directly on individual nanowires to probe their mechanical properties. It was found that the twinned Mg2B2O5 nanowires achieve comparable hardness but 19% decrease in elastic modulus compared to their bulk counterpart. The elastic softening mechanisms of the Mg2B2O5 nanowires are discussed with reference to their twin defects, size, and surface effects.     

Raman studies of selenium nanowires under high pressure

The selenium nanowires with diameter of 70 nm and length of 40 μm were synthesized by a facile solution method. High-pressure behavior of Se nanowires has been investigated by in situ Raman scattering up to 20.2 GPa at room temperature. A reversible phase transition from hexagonal to monoclinic occurs at 18.1 GPa. This transition pressure is higher than that of 14.0 GPa for bulk Se. The intrinsic geometry and/or the increasing energy band gap of Se nanowires are considered to contribute to the increase of transition pressure.     

Arc-Discharge Synthesis and Microstructure Characterization of AlN Nanowires

AIN nanowires with a hexagonal structure were synthesized using an improved arc-discharge method and their microstructures were characterized using a high-resolution transmission electron microscope. The synthesized AIN nanowires were of various shapes. Their diameters ranged from 20 to 110 nm and the lengths were up to 20μm. Most of the AIN nanowires were coated by an amorphous layer of aluminum oxide. Fabrication yield was about several grams. The growth mechanism was considered to be a vapor-liquid-solid process and an Al droplet formed on the top of as-grown AIN nanowire played a role of catalyst.     

Ultimate bending strength of Si nanowires

Test platforms for the ideal strength of materials are provided by almost defect-free nanostructures (nanowires, nanotubes, nanoparticles, for example). In this work, the ultimate bending strengths of Si nanowires with radii in the 20-60 nm range were investigated by using a new bending protocol. Nanowires simply held by adhesion on flat substrates were bent through sequential atomic force microscopy manipulations. The bending states prior to failure were analyzed in great detail to measure the bending dynamics and the ultimate fracture strength of the investigated nanowires. An increase in the fracture strengths from 12 to 18 GPa was observed as the radius of nanowires was decreased from 60 to 20 nm. The large values of the fracture strength of these nanowires, although comparable with the ideal strength of Si, are explained in terms of the surface morphology of the nanowires.     

Arc-Discharge Synthesis and Microstructure Characterization of AIN Nanowires

AIN nanowires with a hexagonal structure were synthesized using an improved arc-discharge method and their microstructures were characterized using a high-resolution transmission electron microscope. The synthesized AIN nanowires were of various shapes. Their diameters ranged from 20 to 110 nm and the lengths were up to 20 μm. Most of the AIN nanowires were coated by an amorphous layer of aluminum oxide. Fabrication yield was about several grams. The growth mechanism was considered to be a vapor-liquid-solid process and an AI droplet formed on the top of as-grown AIN nanowire played a role of catalyst.     

Stress-induced wurtzite to hexagonal phase transformation in zinc oxide nanowires

The stress-induced wurtzite to hexagonal phase transformation in [0110] oriented zinc oxide nanowires were investigated using a molecular dynamics simulation and reactive force field potentials. The yield strength of the 2.13 x 1.93 nm wurtzite nanowires is 12 GPa at 50 K. The wurtzite to hexagonal phase transformation was successfully observed at stress plateaus (5-5.5 GPa at 50 K) located after the yield point of the wurtzite phase. The wurtzite to hexagonal phase transformation was a result of the propagation of {0111} twinning boundaries. During the phase transformation, the wurtzite and hexagonal phases were clearly separated by the {0111} twinning boundaries. To analyze the difference between ceramic and metallic systems, all the calculation data of wurtzite to hexagonal transformation were compared with stress-induced phase transformation in metallic nanowires such as CuZr and NiA1. As the result of the [0110] tensile loading of the ZnO nanowires, the hexagonal phase was obtained.