title: Electron beam irradiation stiffens zinc tin oxide nanowires.
abstract: We report a remarkable phenomenon that electron beam irradiation (EBI) significantly enhances the Young's modulus of zinc tin oxide (ZTO) nanowires (NWs), up to a 40% increase compared with the pristine NWs. In situ uniaxial buckling tests on individual NWs were conducted using a nanomanipulator inside a scanning electron microscope. We propose that EBI results in substantial atomic bond contraction in ZTO NWs, accounting for the observed mechanically stiffening. This argument is supported by our experimental results that EBI also reduces the electrical conductivity of ZTO NWs.
authors.affiliation: Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of South Carolina, 300 Main Street, Columbia, South Carolina 29208, United States.
authors.forename: Jianfeng
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zang
authors.forename: Lihong
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Bao
authors.forename: Richard A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Webb
authors.forename: Xiaodong
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Li
mesh_terms: D055119:Elastic Modulus / Q000528:radiation effects; D004583:Electrons; D006244:Hardness / Q000528:radiation effects; D008422:Materials Testing; D008968:Molecular Conformation / Q000528:radiation effects; D043942:Nanotubes / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000528:radiation effects* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D017971:Tin Compounds / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000528:radiation effects*; D015034:Zinc Oxide / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000528:radiation effects*
chemical_list: D017971:Tin Compounds; C045358:stannic oxide; D015034:Zinc Oxide