The unique structure and mechanical properties of platelet-reinforced biological materials such as bone and seashells have motivated the development of artificial composites exhibiting new, unusual mechanical behavior. On the basis of designing principles found in these biological structures, we combined high-performance artificial building blocks to fabricate platelet-reinforced polymer matrix composites that exhibit simultaneously high tensile strength and ductility. The mechanical properties are correlated with the underlying microstructure of the composites before and after mechanical loading using transmission electron microscopy. The critical role of the strength of the platelet–polymer interface and its dependence on the platelet surface chemistry and the type of matrix polymer are studied. Thin multilayered films with highly oriented platelets were produced through the bottom-up layer-by-layer assembly of submicrometer-thin alumina platelets and either polyimide or chitosan as polymer matrix. The tensile strength and strain at rupture of the prepared composites exceeded that of nacre, whereas the elastic modulus reached values similar to that of lamellar bones. In contrast to the brittle failure of clay-reinforced composites of similar or higher strength and stiffness, our composites exhibit plastic deformation in the range of 2–90% before failure. In addition to the high reinforcing efficiency and ductility achieved, several toughening mechanisms were identified in fractured composites, namely friction, debonding, and formation of microcracks at the platelet–polymer interface, as well as plastic deformation and void formation within the continuous polymeric phase. The combination of high strength, ductility, and toughness was achieved by selecting platelets that exhibit an aspect ratio high enough to carry significant load but small enough to allow for fracture under the platelet pull-out mode. At high concentrations of platelets, the ductility gets lost because of out-of-plane misalignment of the platelets and incorporation of voids in the microstructure during processing. The designing principles applied in this study can potentially be extended to other types of platelets and polymers to obtain new, hybrid materials with tunable mechanical properties.

Using Laplace transform, we solve the inverse problem of obtaining the shear relaxation modulus and creep compliance of linear viscoelastic solids from indentation by axisymmetric indenters of power-law profiles. We identify several simple, though nontrivial, loading paths for carrying out indentation measurements such that the inverse problem has analytical solutions. We show that the shear relaxation modulus and creep compliance may be readily obtained using the newly derived analytical expressions together with proposed indentation loading paths.

Nanoindentation creep and uniaxial tension were conducted on pure Mg with a grain size of about 2 μm at room temperature and the data were directly compared. Despite the differences in stress state, the two sets of data were found to match remarkably well with each other. An apparent stress exponent value of 4 was obtained and the deformation mechanism was discussed in light of dislocation slips and twinning in anisotropic Mg.

The effect of fluorine termination on the stability and bonding structure of diamond (111) surfaces were studied using first-principles calculations and compared with hydrogen termination by creating mixed F- and H-containing diamond surfaces. Surface F atoms, similar to H, formed sp3-type bonding with C atoms, which resulted in a more stable 1 × 1 configuration. The surface phase diagram built showed that the F-terminated surface was more stable in a larger-phase space than H termination, because of the formation of strong ionic C–F bonds and the development of attractive forces between F atoms, resulting in close packing of large F atoms. Hence, the F-terminated diamond surface was more chemically inert. A large repulsive force was required to bring two F-terminated surfaces together, because of the negative charge on F atoms, resulting in reduced adhesion tendency between two F-terminated diamond surfaces compared with H-terminated surfaces.

The crystal structure of VOBDC (BDC = 1,4-benzenedicarboxylate) has a 1-dimensional channel system with apertures of ∼8 Å, and shows remarkable flexibility upon adsorption/desorption of various guest molecules in the channels. VOBDC can selectively and rapidly adsorb organic molecules containing sulfur on exposure to a 5% CH4/He stream with different contents of thiophene or dimethyl sulfide at ambient temperature. Selective uptake of thiophene from liquid octane with thiophene concentrations from 2000 ppmw down to 100 ppmw is also observed. X-ray crystallographic data show that the adsorbed thiophene molecules adopt a herringbone packing arrangement within the channels of VOBDC while adsorbed dimethyl sulfide molecules are disordered among several positions in the channels with the sulfur atoms pointing toward the channel walls. The observed adsorptive capacities for thiophene and dimethyl sulfide are 155 mg and 208 mg sulfur per gram of VOBDC, respectively, consistent with the crystal structure data.

The atomic structure of shear bands in Pd40Ni40P20 bulk metallic glass has been compared to an undeformed matrix phase using pair distribution functions (PDFs) derived from energy filtered nanobeam electron diffraction. Shear bands do not show any characteristic contrast in transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images when specimens are prepared with uniform thickness. PDFs from a shear band exhibit a slight decrease in the first peak, indicating a slight difference in packing density and short range order compared to the undeformed matrix.

We developed a new Cu–Zn wetting layer for Pb-free solders. By adding Zn to the Cu wetting layer, intermetallic growth in the Sn–Ag–Cu (SAC) solder interfaces was delayed. Cu3Sn intermetallic compounds and microvoids were not observed in the SAC/Cu–Zn interfaces after aging. The drop reliability of the SAC solder/Cu–Zn joints was excellent.

We explore key mechanical responses of the layered microstructure found in selected parts of the exoskeletons (pronotum, leg and elytron) of Popillia japonica (Japanese beetle). Image analyses of exoskeleton cross-sections reveal four distinct layered regions. The load-bearing inner three regions (exocuticle, mesocuticle, and endocuticle) consist of multiple chitin-protein layers, in which chitin fibers align in parallel. The exocuticle and mesocuticle have a helicoidal structure, where the stacking sequence is characterized by a gradual rotation of the fiber orientation. The endocuticle has a pseudo-orthogonal structure, where two orthogonal layers are joined by a thin helicoidal region. The mechanics-based analyses suggest that, compared with the conventional cross-ply structure, the pseudo-orthogonal configuration reduces the maximum tensile stress over the exoskeleton cross-section and increases the interfacial fracture resistance. The coexistence of the pseudo-orthogonal and helicoidal structures reveals a competition between the in-plane isotropy and the interfacial strength in nature’s design of the biocomposite.

In this paper, the responses in the microregion of three ferroic-type materials, such as ferroelectric single crystals (PMN-PT and BaTiO3), ferromagnetic alloy (Fe81Ga19), and ferroelastic alloy (Ni53Mn24Ga23), to local stress induced by Vickers indentations were studied using scanning electron-acoustic microscopy (SEAM), a powerful technique for nondestructive investigation of the microstructure of materials. The responses of ferroelectric domains, magnetic domains, and ferroelastic domains to local stress were successfully observed. These responses possess three major features including the plastic deformation underneath the indenter, the extension of microcracks induced by indentation, and the formation of new lamellar domains within the matrix domain structure. In addition, by using the unique ability of SEAM to image layer by layer, the distributions of residual stress at different depths were obtained. The generation mechanisms of the electron acoustic signals of ferroelectric domains, magnetic domains, and ferroelastic domains are discussed.

The effect of nonsupported MoO3 as a conditioning catalyst on the preparation of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) using a common main catalyst Fe/MgO was investigated. Without using MoO3, only single-walled CNTs were produced at low yield. In contrast, the use of MoO3 provided single-walled and double-walled CNTs at high yield. The MoO3 conditioning catalyst enhances not only the yield but also the diameter and layer number of CNTs. The higher yield formation of more layered CNTs with larger diameter would be attributed to the preproduction of reactive hydrocarbon species by the conditioning catalyst and their growth to larger molecular-weight reactive species.

Biological materials have developed hierarchical and heterogeneous material microstructures and nanostructures to provide protection against environmental threats that, in turn, provide bioinspired clues to improve human body armor. In this study, we present a multiscale experimental and computational approach to investigate the anisotropic design principles of a ganoid scale of an ancient fish, Polypterus senegalus, which possesses a unique quad-layered structure at the micrometer scale with nanostructured material constituting each layer. The anisotropy of the outermost prismatic ganoine layer was investigated using instrumented nanoindentations and finite element analysis (FEA) simulations. Nanomechanical modeling was carried out to reveal the elastic-plastic mechanical anisotropy of the ganoine composite due to its unique nanostructure. Simulation results for nanoindentation representing ganoine alternatively with isotropic, anisotropic, and discrete material properties are compared to understand the apparent direction-independence of the anisotropic ganoine during indentation. By incorporating the estimated anisotropic mechanical properties of ganoine, microindentation on a quad-layered FEA model that is analogous to penetration biting events (potential threat) was performed and compared with the quad-layered FEA model with isotropic ganoine. The elastic-plastic anisotropy of the outmost ganoine layer enhances the load-dependent penetration resistance of the multilayered armor compared with the isotropic ganoine layer by (i) retaining the effective indentation modulus and hardness properties, (ii) enhancing the transmission of stress and dissipation to the underlying dentin layer, (iii) lowering the ganoine/dentin interfacial stresses and hence reducing any propensity toward delamination, (iv) retaining the suppression of catastrophic radial surface cracking, and favoring localized circumferential cracking, and (v) providing discrete structural pathways (interprism) for circumferential cracks to propagate normal to the surface for easy arrest by the underlying dentin layer and hence containing damage locally. These results indicate the potential to use anisotropy of the individual layers as a means for design optimization of hierarchically structured material systems for dissipative armor.

Alloying effects of iridium on the glass formability (GFA) of the Zr–Ir–Cu–Al system have been investigated, and several new bulk metallic glasses (BMGs) with high GFA have been successfully developed. Additions of Ir in the Zr–Cu–Al system can yield a beneficial distribution in atomic sizes, but the strong chemical interaction of the Zr–Ir atomic pair limits the maximum addable Ir contents and the resultant GFA. Our analyses indicate that the optimum composition for alloying elements is determined by not only topological but also chemical factors. Phase competition upon solidification, rather than effects from individual affecting factors, dictates the GFA of BMG systems.

A new melt processing route for the fabrication of large grain Gd-Ba-Cu-O (GdBCO) bulk superconductors has been developed based on the use of novel GdBa4Cu3O8−δ (Gd-143) and GdBa6Cu3O10−δ (Gd-163) precursor compositions. The new processing route enables the fabrication of large single grains from precursor powders that contain high concentrations of Ba. The superconducting properties and microstructures of GdBCO single grains with extra Ba fabricated via this new processing route are reported. Most importantly, the possible formation of a new form of Gd1+xBa2−xCu3O7−δ solid solution (Gd-123ss) with x < 0 in single grains fabricated from the Ba-rich precursor are discussed for the first time based on the superconducting, chemical, and structural properties of the large GdBCO grains.

Tabor’s book The Hardness of Metals, published in 1951, has had a major influence on the subject of indentation hardness and is by far the most widely cited source in this area. Although hardness testing was widely used for practical purposes in the first half of the 20th century, its use was generally based on little scientific understanding. The history of indentation hardness testing up to that point is reviewed, and Tabor’s contribution is appraised in this context.

Current semiconductor technology demands the use of compliant substrates for flexible integrated circuits. However, the maximum total strain of such devices is often limited by the extensibility of the metallic components. Although cracking in thin films is extensively studied theoretically, little experimental work has been carried out thus far. Here, we present a systematic study of the cracking behavior of 34- to 506-nm-thick Cu films on polyamide with 3.5-to 19-nm-thick Ta interlayers. The film systems have been investigated by a synchrotron-based tensile testing technique and in situ tensile tests in a scanning electron microscope. By relating the energy release during cracking obtained from the stress-strain curves to the crack area, the fracture toughness of the Cu films can be obtained. It increases with Cu film thickness and decreases with increasing Ta film thickness. Films thinner than 70 nm exhibit brittle fracture, indicating an increasing inherent brittleness of the Cu films.

Focused ion beam machining was used to manufacture microcantilevers 30 μm by 3 μm by 4 μm with a triangular cross section in single crystal copper at a range of orientations between. These were imaged and tested using AFM/nanoindentation. Each cantilever was indented multiple times at a decreasing distance away from the fixed end. Variation of the beam’s behavior with loading position allowed a critical aspect ratio (loaded length:beam width) of 6 to be identified above which simple beam approximations could be used to calculate Young’s modulus. Microcantilevers were also milled within a single grain in a polycrystalline copper sample and electron backscattered diffraction was used to identify the direction of the long axis of the cantilever. The experimentally measured values of Young’s modulus and their variation with orientation were found to be in good agreement with the values calculated from the literature data for bulk copper.

In order to study the electronic properties of conjugated polymer nanowire junctions, we have fabricated two devices consisting of two crossed poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) nanowires with platinum microleads attached to each end of each nanowire. We find that the junction resistance of the crossed nanowires is much larger than the intrinsic resistance of the individual PEDOT nanowire, and increases with decreasing temperature, which can be described by a thermal fluctuation-induced tunneling conduction model. In addition, the crossed junctions show linear current-voltage characteristics at room temperature.

The thermal coarsening of nanoporous Au was examined and compared with the thermal instability of Au nanoparticles. The nanoporous Au was coarsened at temperatures far below the melting temperature of Au nanoparticles, which possess sizes similar to the nanoligaments. Differential scanning calorimetry characterization of nanoporous Au exhibited an exothermal peak around 470 K. These results suggest that solid-state process like recrystallization, rather than melting, is responsible for the thermal coarsening of nanoporous Au.

The electron energy structure of self-assembled In(Ga)As/GaAs nanostructures, quantum dots, and quantum rings was studied with capacitance-voltage spectroscopy and one-dimensional numerical simulation using Poisson/Schrödinger equations. The electron energy levels in the quantum dots and quantum rings with respect to the electron ground state of the wetting layer were determined directly from capacitance-voltage measurements with a linear lever arm approximation. In the regime where the linear lever arm approximation was not valid anymore (after the charging of the wetting layer), the energy difference between the electron ground state of the wetting layer and the GaAs conduction band edge was obtained indirectly from a numerical simulation of the conduction band under different gate voltages, which led to the erection of complete electron energy levels of the nanostructures in the conduction band.