Nanomechanical testing methods have drawn significant attention in both scientific and industrial research fields owing to unique deformation mechanisms in constrained volumes that underpin new property regimes. In-situ imaging equipment is now routinely employed to monitor the live evolution of material response during mechanical loading, with many of the testing developments tailored for electron microscopes (EMs). More recently, progress towards quantitative in-situ testing at synchrotron beamlines enabled by innovations in source brightness, focusing optics, and large size detectors has been made. Novel techniques such as Bragg coherent X-ray diffraction promise 3D information with phase information related to displacement fields (elastic strain, defects) within the material. However, despite the rich information that can be collected, many challenges arise in the realization of in-situ imaging of single nanostructures using such methods, including meticulous sample preparation and complex data analysis in retrieving phase information.
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