Molecular dynamics simulations reveal mechanisms by which metal nanowires deform or break under strain
Wednesday, January 29, 2014 - 09:30
in Physics & Chemistry
Experimentalists searching for strong structural materials have established that nanocrystalline metals, which have average grain sizes smaller than 100 nanometers, are stronger, harder and more resistant to fatigue than coarser-grained metals. Despite this strength, nanocrystalline metals undergo problematic deformations in response to loading or heating. To date, researchers have struggled to verify the complex interplay of processes that lead to these deformations.