A MEMS tensile testing device for mechanical characterization of individual nanowires

This paper presents a MEMS (microelectromechanical systems) device for tensile testing of individual one-dimensional nanomaterials. Consisting of capacitive force and displacement sensors and an electrostatic actuator, the device conducts tensile testing and electronically measures nanomaterial deformations and forces. Electronic measurement permits a higher data sampling rate than electron microscopy imaging, which can be useful for obtaining more complete stress-strain data during plastic deformation and failure of nanomaterials for understanding material behavior. A nanomanipulation procedure is developed to pick up a nanowire from its growth substrate and place it on the MEMS device inside a scanning electron microscope. The quasistatic tensile test of a tin oxide (SnO₂) nanowire is demonstrated, revealing a Young´s modulus of 116.0 GPa and failure strength of 2.31 GPa.