Mechanical Failure Mode of Metal Nanowires: Global Deformation versus Local Deformation

Anisotropic crystal orientations dependent mechanical properties and fracture mechanisms in zinc blende ZnTe nanowires

The orientations of crystal growth significantly affect the operating characteristics of elastic and inelastic deformation in semiconductor nanowires (NWs). This work uses molecular dynamics simulation to extensively investigate the orientation-dependent mechanical properties and fracture mechanisms of zinc blende ZnTe NWs. Three different crystal orientations, including [100], [110], and [111], coupled with temperatures (100 to 600 K) on the fracture stress and elastic modulus, are thoroughly studied. In comparison to the [110] and [100] orientations, the [111]-oriented ZnTe NW exhibits a high fracture stress. The percentage decrease in fracture strength exhibits a pronounced variation with increasing temperature, with the highest magnitude observed in the [100] direction and the lowest magnitude observed in the [110] direction. The elastic modulus dropped by the largest percentage in the [111] direction as compared to the [100] direction. Most notably, the [110]-directed ZnTe NW deforms unusually as the strain rate increases, making it more sensitive to strain rate than other orientations. The strong strain rate sensitivity results from the unusual short-range and long-range order crystals appearing due to dislocation slipping and partial twinning. Moreover, the {111} plane is the principal cleavage plane for all orientations, creating a dislocation slipping mechanism at room temperature. The {100} plane becomes active and acts as another fundamental cleavage plane at increasing temperatures. This in-depth analysis paves the way for advancing efficient and reliable ZnTe NWs-based nanodevices and nanomechanical systems.

Crystal orientation-dependent tensile mechanical behavior and deformation mechanisms of zinc-blende ZnSe nanowires

Crystal deformation mechanisms and mechanical behaviors in semiconductor nanowires (NWs), in particular ZnSe NWs, exhibit a strong orientation dependence. However, very little is known about tensile deformation mechanisms for different crystal orientations. Here, the dependence of crystal orientations on mechanical properties and deformation mechanisms of zinc-blende ZnSe NWs are explored using molecular dynamics simulations. We find that the fracture strength of [111]-oriented ZnSe NWs shows a higher value than that of [110] and [100]-oriented ZnSe NWs. Square shape ZnSe NWs show greater value in terms of fracture strength and elastic modulus compared to a hexagonal shape at all considered diameters. With increasing temperature, the fracture stress and elastic modulus exhibit a sharp decrease. It is observed that the {111} planes are the deformation planes at lower temperatures for the [100] orientation; conversely, when the temperature is increased, the {100} plane is activated and contributes as the second principal cleavage plane. Most importantly, the [110]-directed ZnSe NWs show the highest strain rate sensitivity compared to the other orientations due to the formation of many different cleavage planes with increasing strain rates. The calculated radial distribution function and potential energy per atom further validates the obtained results. This study is very important for the future development of efficient and reliable ZnSe NWs-based nanodevices and nanomechanical systems.

Numerical investigation of size effects on mechanical behaviors of Fe nanoparticles through an atomistic field theory

At nanoscale, the mechanical response of nanoparticles is largely affected by the particle size. To assess the effects of nanoparticle size (e.g., nanoparticle’s volume, cross-sectional area and length) on mechanical behaviors of bcc Fe nanoparticles under compressive loading, an atomistic field theory was introduced in current study. In the theory, atomistic definitions and continuous local density functions of fundamental physical quantities were derived. Through the atomistic potential-based method, the mechanical responses of bcc Fe nanoparticles were analyzed in different sizes. The simulation results reveal that the ultimate stress decreases as Fe nanoparticle’s volume, cross-sectional area or length increases under compressive loading. Nonetheless, the Young’s modulus increases as nanoparticle size increases. In addition, for a fixed finite volume nanoparticle, this study indicates that the ultimate stress will increase as strain rate increases, but Young’s modulus will decrease with increasing strain rate. A loading–unloading study illustrates the energy dissipation due to irreversible structure changes in Fe nanoparticles.

Multiscale studies on the nonlinear vibration of delaminated composite laminates-global vibration mode with micro buckles on the interfaces

This paper presents a multiscale approach to study the nonlinear vibration of fiber reinforced composite laminates containing an embedded, through-width delamination dividing the laminate into four sub-laminates. The equations of motion are established from macroscopic nonlinear mechanics for plates and shells and micro-mechanics of composite material to allow for the influences of large amplitude, membrane stretching in the neutral plane, and the interactions of the sublaminates. Analytical solutions obtained in this paper reveal that the interaction penalty at the interfaces plays a coupling effect between sublaminates, which eventually alters the vibration characters of the four-sublaminate lamina in macroscopic and microscopic mechanism. From a macro perspective, sub-laminates above and below the delamination vibrate in exactly the same mode in spite of their different stiffness and the four-sublaminate lamina has a consistent global vibration mode. In accompanying with the macro vibration, micro buckles occur on the interfaces of the delamination with amplitude about 10⁻³ times of that of the global mode. It is found that the vibration frequency is an eigenvalue of the delaminated lamina determined only by the geometry of the delamination. Authentication of the multiscale study is fulfilled by comparing the analytical solutions with the FEA results.

Metal [100] Nanowires with Negative Poisson's Ratio

When materials are under stretching, occurrence of lateral contraction of materials is commonly observed. This is because Poisson's ratio, the quantity describes the relationship between a lateral strain and applied strain, is positive for nearly all materials. There are some reported structures and materials having negative Poisson's ratio. However, most of them are at macroscale, and reentrant structures and rigid rotating units are the main mechanisms for their negative Poisson's ratio behavior. Here, with numerical and theoretical evidence, we show that metal [100] nanowires with asymmetric cross-sections such as rectangle or ellipse can exhibit negative Poisson's ratio behavior. Furthermore, the negative Poisson's ratio behavior can be further improved by introducing a hole inside the asymmetric nanowires. We show that the surface effect inducing the asymmetric stresses inside the nanowires is a main origin of the superior property.