The determination of Young's modulus in noble metal nanowires

摘要

The origin of the size and temperature dependent Young's modulus (Y) in noble metal nanowires with fcc structure was investigated by considering the size effects on surface bond contraction and melting temperature (T_m) variation. The results show that Y decreases with a shrinking disparity between T_m and the material's application temperature, while the surface bond contraction results in increase in Y with size reduction. Thus, the variation in Y is the consequence of the subtle interplay and competition between these two factors. This finding indicates that Y of nanowires can be controlled by manipulating the size and the application temperature.