Abstract
Moisture-assisted cracking of silica-derived materials results from a stress-enhanced reaction between water molecules and moisture-sensitive SiOSi bonds at the crack tip. We report the moisture-assisted cracking of oxidized hydrogenated amorphous silicon carbide films (a-SiCO:H) consisting of both moisture-sensitive SiOSi bonds and moisture-insensitive bonds. The sensitivity of the films to moisture-assisted cracking was observed to increase with the SiOSi bond density, ρSiOSi. This sensitivity was correlated with the number of SiOSi bonds ruptured, NSiOSi, through an atomistic kinetic fracture model. By comparing these correlated NSiOSi values with those estimated by a planar crack model, we demonstrated that at the atomistic scale the crack path meanders three-dimensionally so as to intercept the most SiOSi bonds. This atomistic crack path meandering was verified by a computational method based on graph theory and molecular dynamics. Our findings could provide a basis for better understanding of moisture-assisted cracking in materials consisting of other types of moisture-sensitive and moisture-insensitive bonds.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.