Nanomechanics of Nanocomposites

Nanocomposites are an emerging class of materials, consist of matrix in which nanoparticles are added to improve a certain property. The use of nanoparticles in composites often provides excellent electrical, magnetic, thermal, optical, and mechanical properties at much lower volume fraction of filler. Consequently, nanocomposites have a great potential for applications in the automotive industry, aerospace, biomed, energy storage and more. However, before nanomaterials can be successfully incorporated into such devices and composites, fundamental understanding of their behavior within a composite, as well as correlating behavior and morphology, are required. We thus demonstrate a new and effective method for in-situ testing of nanocomposites within Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM), utilizing advanced NanoIndenter in order to evaluate their nanoscale mechanical behaviors. Nanosamples of Vertically Aligned Carbon Nanotubes (VACNTs)/Epoxy were fabricated using Focus Ion Beam (FIB) under conditions suitable for polymers. We present two nanosamples fabricated for in-situ nanomechanical testing. Cantilever sample for­ bending test and a tensile specimen attached to a push-to-pull MEMS device for tensile testing. These specimens underwent in-situ nanoindentation experiments, investigate material`s deformations in real time, while quantitative data is being collected. The knowledge acquired in this work will enable to unlock the true potential of these outstanding materials.