title: Approaching the theoretical elastic strain limit in copper nanowires.
abstract: Three sets of uniaxial tensile tests have been performed in situ in transmission electron microscopy/high-resolution electron microscopy on Cu nanowires (NWs) to accurately map out the sample size dependence of elastic strain limit. Atomic-resolution evidence was obtained for an exceedingly large recoverable strain (as much as 7.2%) that can be sustained in the lattice of a single-crystalline Cu NW with a diameter of ∼5.8 nm. This ultrahigh elastic strain is consistent with the predictions from molecular dynamics simulations for nanowires and approaches the ideal elastic limit predicted for Cu by ab initio calculations.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Microstructure and Properties of Advanced Materials, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Yonghai
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yue
authors.forename: Pan
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Ze
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Xiaodong
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Han
authors.forename: En
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ma