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Microelectromechanical Systems (MEMS)-Based Testing of Materials

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Handbook of Mechanics of Materials

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Abstract

Mechanical behavior of micro- and nanoscale materials has received considerable attention in recent years because of their widespread use in micro−/nanotechnology applications. These materials are also intriguing from a scientific standpoint because their small-size scale results in mechanical behavior that is significantly different from the behavior of macroscale materials. As a result, a variety of experimental methodologies have been developed to accurately determine the mechanical properties (modulus, strength, fracture toughness, etc.) of micro- and nanoscale materials and uncover the microscopic mechanisms that lead to those properties. Among these approaches, microelectromechanical systems (MEMS)-based platforms have proven to be highly suitable because of their capability to apply and resolve extremely small forces (nN) and displacements (nm). In addition, MEMS-based testing platforms, because of their small size, are ideal for in situ characterization in electron and scanning probe microscopes, which often have stringent space limitations. This chapter provides an overview of the development and advances in MEMS-based materials characterization with an emphasis on in situ techniques. Different actuation and sensing mechanisms as well as device configurations for various types of testing (tensile, fatigue, thermomechanical) are reviewed. Key results and insights obtained from the nanomechanical characterization of thin films, nanowires, and nanotubes using MEMS-based platforms are summarized. Finally, some of the challenges and opportunities for MEMS-based micro- and nanoscale materials characterization are discussed.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, School for Engineering of Matter, Transport and Energy, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA

    Jagannathan Rajagopalan

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  1. Jagannathan Rajagopalan
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Correspondence to Jagannathan Rajagopalan .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Materials Science and Strength of Materials, University of Stuttgart Institute for Materials Testing, Stuttgart, Germany

    Siegfried Schmauder

  2. Department of Civil Engineering, National Taiwan University Department of Civil Engineering, Taipei, T´ai-pei, Taiwan

    Chuin-Shan Chen

  3. BEC 254, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, USA

    Krishan K. Chawla

  4. Fulton School of Engineering, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, USA

    Nikhilesh Chawla

  5. Engineering Mechanics, Zhejiang University Engineering Mechanics, Hangzhou, China

    Weiqiu Chen

  6. Katayanagi Advanced Research Laboratorie, Tokyo University of Technology Katayanagi Advanced Research Laboratorie, Tokyo, Japan

    Yutaka Kagawa

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Rajagopalan, J. (2018). Microelectromechanical Systems (MEMS)-Based Testing of Materials. In: Schmauder, S., Chen, CS., Chawla, K., Chawla, N., Chen, W., Kagawa, Y. (eds) Handbook of Mechanics of Materials. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-6855-3_45-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-6855-3_45-1

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Singapore

  • Print ISBN: 978-981-10-6855-3

  • Online ISBN: 978-981-10-6855-3

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