A computational and experimental investigation of the mechanical properties of single ZnTe nanowires

作者：Davami Keivan; Mortazavi Bohayra; Ghassemi Hessam M; Yassar Reza S; Lee Jeong Soo^*; Remond Yves; Meyyappan M

来源：Nanoscale, 2012, 4(3): 897-903.

DOI：10.1039/c2nr11593j

One-dimensional nanostructures such as ZnTe, CdTe, Bi2Te3 and others have attracted much attention in recent years for their potential in thermoelectric devices among other applications. A better understanding of their mechanical properties is important for the design of devices. A combined experimental and computational approach has been used here to investigate the size effects on the Young%26apos;s modulus of ZnTe nanowires (NWs). The mechanical properties of individual ZnTe nanowires in a wide diameter range (50-230 nm) were experimentally measured inside a high resolution transmission electron microscope using an atomic force microscope probe with the ability to record in situ continuous force-displacement curves. The in situ observations showed that ZnTe NWs are flexible nanostructures with the ability to withstand relatively high buckling forces without becoming fractured. The Young%26apos;s modulus is found to be independent of nanowire diameter in the investigated range, in contrast to reported results for ZnO NWs and carbon nanotubes where the modulus increases with a decrease in diameter. Molecular dynamics simulations performed for nanowires with diameters less than 20 nm show limited size dependence for diameters smaller than 5 nm. The surface atoms present lower Young%26apos;s modulus according to the simulations and the limited size dependency of the cylindrical ZnTe NWs is attributed to the short range covalent interactions.

• 出版日期2012