title: Effects of Defects on the Mechanical Properties of Kinked Silicon Nanowires.
abstract: Kinked silicon nanowires (KSiNWs) have many special properties that make them attractive for a number of applications. The mechanical properties of KSiNWs play important roles in the performance of sensors. In this work, the effects of defects on the mechanical properties of KSiNWs are studied using molecular dynamics simulations and indirectly validated by experiments. It is found that kinks are weak points in the nanowire (NW) because of inharmonious deformation, resulting in a smaller elastic modulus than that of straight NWs. In addition, surface defects have more significant effects on the mechanical properties of KSiNWs than internal defects. The effects of the width or the diameter of the defects are larger than those of the length of the defects. Overall, the elastic modulus of KSiNWs is not sensitive to defects; therefore, KSiNWs have a great potential as strain or stress sensors in special applications.
authors.affiliation: School of Electromechanical Engineering, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510006, China. chenyun@gdut.edu.cn.|Key Laboratory of Mechanical Equipment Manufacturing and Control Technology of Ministry of Education, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510006, China. chenyun@gdut.edu.cn.|School of Materials Science and Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, 711 Ferst Drive, Atlanta, GA, 30332, USA. chenyun@gdut.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Yun
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4988-8894
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: School of Materials Science and Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, 711 Ferst Drive, Atlanta, GA, 30332, USA.|School of Materials Science and Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing, 211189, China.
authors.forename: Cheng
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: School of Materials Science and Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, 711 Ferst Drive, Atlanta, GA, 30332, USA.
authors.forename: Liyi
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: School of Materials Science and Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, 711 Ferst Drive, Atlanta, GA, 30332, USA.
authors.forename: Chia-Chi
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Tuan
authors.affiliation: School of Electromechanical Engineering, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510006, China. chenx@gdut.edu.cn.|Key Laboratory of Mechanical Equipment Manufacturing and Control Technology of Ministry of Education, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510006, China. chenx@gdut.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Xin
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: School of Electromechanical Engineering, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510006, China.|Key Laboratory of Mechanical Equipment Manufacturing and Control Technology of Ministry of Education, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510006, China.
authors.forename: Jian
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.affiliation: School of Electromechanical Engineering, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510006, China.|Key Laboratory of Mechanical Equipment Manufacturing and Control Technology of Ministry of Education, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510006, China.
authors.forename: Yunbo
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: He
authors.affiliation: School of Materials Science and Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, 711 Ferst Drive, Atlanta, GA, 30332, USA. cp.wong@mse.gatech.edu.|School of Engineering, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong. cp.wong@mse.gatech.edu.
authors.forename: Ching-Ping
authors.initials: CP
authors.lastname: Wong
keywords: Effects of defects; Kinked silicon nanowires; Mechanical properties; Molecular dynamics simulation