The Role of Boundaries and Other Microstructural Features on Emergent Mechanical and Mechanically-Coupled Phenomena at the Nanoscale

Citation

Gallivan, Rebecca Anne (2023) The Role of Boundaries and Other Microstructural Features on Emergent Mechanical and Mechanically-Coupled Phenomena at the Nanoscale. Dissertation (Ph.D.), California Institute of Technology. doi:10.7907/gv3v-9k07. https://resolver.caltech.edu/CaltechTHESIS:07112022-193425820

Abstract

As nanotechnology continues to advance, the need for smaller, structurally complex materials has grown. However, these microscopic (10⁶) and nanoscopic (10⁹) structures often display unexpected changes in mechanical properties as compared to their macroscopic counterparts. Nanomechanical studies investigating size-effects in stiffness, strength, recoverability, ductility, and fracture, reveal an intimate interplay between the breakdown in continuum behavior and the energetic landscape of microstructural mechanisms. Additive manufacturing opens new opportunities to explore this microstructure-mechanics relationship as it enables the micro- and nano-scale production of novel materials and microstructures. While existing studies on structural and functional materials highlight the unique size-scale behavior, a large gap remains in our understanding of the complex relationship between microstructure and material performance. This work investigates the interactions and mechanisms that give rise to emergent nanoscale phenomena. With microstructural characterizations, we demonstrate the role of boundaries and interfaces on mechanical and mechanically-coupled behavior in (1) dense nanowire arrays, (2) nano-architected nanocrystalline zinc oxide, and (3) highly-twinned additively manufactured metallic systems. This work provides critical insights into the mechanisms underlying the observed emergent phenomena and further opens our fundamental intuition for microstructure-mechanics relationships in materials at the nanoscale.

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