Size-Sensitive Young's modulus of Kinked Silicon Nanowires

TL;DR

This study investigates how the Young's modulus of kinked silicon nanowires depends on their arm length, revealing an inverse proportionality and underlying mechanisms through simulations and analytical models.

Contribution

It introduces a size-dependent relationship for Young's modulus in kinked silicon nanowires using combined molecular dynamics and beam model calculations.

Findings

Young's modulus inversely proportional to arm length

Analytic relationship between modulus and arm length

Insights into nanomechanical device applications

Abstract

We perform both classical molecular dynamics simulations and beam model calculations to investigate the Young's modulus of kinked silicon nanowires (KSiNWs). The Young's modulus is found to be highly sensitive to the arm length of the kink and is essentially inversely proportional to the arm length. The mechanism underlying the size dependence is found to be the interplay between the kink angle potential and the arm length potential, where we obtain an analytic relationship between the Young's modulus and the arm length of the KSiNW. Our results provide insight into the application of this novel building block in nanomechanical devices.