TENSION MICRO-DEVICE FOR MEASURING THE MECHANICAL PROPERTIES IN NANOFIBRES, NANORODS AND NANOTUBES, AND METHOD FOR USING THE SAME.

摘要

Disclosed is a device for measuring the mechanical properties of nanofibres, nanorods and nanotubes, which operation is based on the principle of differential thermal expansion in the inner section of the micromachine, which is made of a material with a high expansion coefficient, while the outer portion thereof is made of a second material with a low expansion coefficient, which is useful to be thermally anchored to the first section. The aforementioned characteristic allows a traction force to be generated over a nano-test tube fixed and axially oriented between clamps of the present micromachine which are located at the central portion thereof. The operation of the micromachine requires to be slightly heated using a heating stage of the standard type for transmission electron microscopes (TEM). The geometry of the device is designed to be matched with the commercial stages for microscopes currently available on the market. A small selector for choosing the device containing the nan o-test tube subjected to study is used for leading said connexions outwards the microscope. The invention is useful for measuring the electric conductivity during the mechanical deformation process.