Nicolas J. Briot

Mechanical properties of bulk single crystalline nanoporous gold investigated by millimetre-scale tension and compression testing

In this work, the mechanical behaviour of millimetre-scale, bulk single crystalline, nanoporous gold at room temperature is reported for the first time. Tension and compression tests were performed with a custom-designed test system that accommodates small-scale samples. The absence of grain boundaries in the specimens allowed measurement of the inherent strength of millimetre-scale nanoporous gold in tension. The elastic modulus and strength values in tension and compression were found to be significantly lower than values measured with nanoindentation-based techniques and previously reported in the literature, but close to those reported for millimetre-scale polycrystalline samples tested using traditional compression techniques. Fracture toughness was found to be very low, in agreement with the macroscopic brittleness of nanoporous gold, but this is due to the localization of deformation to a narrow zone of ligaments, which individually exhibit significant plasticity and necking.

Developing scaling relations for the yield strength of nanoporous gold

In this work, the applicability of Gibson and Ashby’s porous scaling relations to nanoporous metals is discussed, and an updated equation is proposed for relating the yield strength of nanoporous gold to the yield strength of individual gold ligaments that form the porous structure. This new relation is derived from experimental measurements obtained by small-scale tensile testing and by nanoindentation, and incorporates the average ligament diameter. Nanoindentation data, obtained experimentally by the authors as well as reported by others in the literature, are reconciled with tensile test measurements previously reported by the present authors. The values of ligament yield strength calculated with the new scaling relation are found to agree with data reported from mechanical testing of nanowires, and the scaling relation thus represents a bridge between nanowire and nanoporous metal behaviour. In addition, calculations of yield strength for nanoporous gold samples with various ligament size and relative density are consistent with the experimentally determined values.

Magnesium Alloy Precursor Thin Films for Efficient, Practical Fabrication of Nanoporous Metals

An improved approach to fabrication of nanoporous (np) metals is demonstrated for several metallic systems that were successfully created by dealloying magnesium-based precursor alloys (also containing iridium, nickel, gold, or osmium-ruthenium). A significant advantage is that magnesium alloys can be dealloyed effectively using water or, if needed, dilute acetic acid. The crystal structures of magnesium-based precursor films were significantly different from those of alloys commonly used as precursors. This approach should be generally applicable to np metal synthesis.

Uniaxial compression testing of bulk nanoporous gold

Abstract The mechanical properties of bulk nanoporous gold (np–Au) with a relative density of 0.35 were investigated by compression testing of millimetre-scale specimens. Young’s modulus, Poisson’s ratio and yield strength values were determined from uniaxial, quasi-static experiments using a custom-built mechanical testing system. The cuboid-shaped specimens were fabricated following a specific, controlled process (including cutting and grinding) that guaranteed a precise and repeatable geometry. The np–Au structure was created from a silver–gold alloy by electrochemical dealloying in nitric acid. Mechanical properties obtained from compression testing are compared to values reported in the literature and to scaling relations. Values are found to agree with a recently proposed scaling relation for the yield strength of np–Au that incorporates a ligament size effect and a modified scaling exponent.