Abstract
The mechanical measurements of nanostructures are crucial to the development and processing of novel nanodevices. In this study, TiO2 nanotubes were synthesised using an electrospinning method combined with subsequent heat treatment. A simple experimental method is established to measure the elastic modulus of a single nanotube based on atomic force microscopy (AFM) technology. Subsequently, the finite element method (FEM) is employed to evaluate the effect of the elastic modulus of TiO2 and dimensional size on the mechanical behaviours of the TiO2 nanotubes. The results show that, by combining AFM with FEM technology, the mechanical behaviour of a single TiO2 nanotube can be predicted efficiently in the linear elastic region.
Highlights
The design and construction of nanodevices such as microbatteries, quantum cascade lasers, field-effect transistors, light-emitting diodes, gas nanosensors, etc. rely critically on our ability to fabricate functional heterostructures and interfaces with desirable characteristics [1,2,3]
The effect of elastic modulus and dimensional size on the mechanical behaviors of the nanotubes was simulated by the finite element method (FEM)
The detailed structure of the synthesized TiO2 nanotubes was studied by transmission electron microscopy (TEM)
Summary
The design and construction of nanodevices such as microbatteries, quantum cascade lasers, field-effect transistors, light-emitting diodes, gas nanosensors, etc. rely critically on our ability to fabricate functional heterostructures and interfaces with desirable characteristics [1,2,3]. The mechanical properties of nanomaterials are crucial to the development and processing of novel nanodevices [17, 18]. The challenge of research on nanomechanical properties is due to the lack of nanoscale experimental techniques, and the lack of multiscale theories to describe the size effects [19]. Due to the lack of basic data and related experimental equipment, the finite element method (FEM) was widely employed to simulate and predict the mechanical properties of nanomaterials under complicated conditions[10, 25, 26, 29]. A series of destructive and nondestructive tests were carried out to characterize the mechanical properties of a single TiO2 nanotube.
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