Affiliation:
1. Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS, FAST, 91405 Orsay, France
2. Department of Physics, Oklahoma State University Stillwater, Stillwater, Oklahoma 74078, USA
Abstract
We study nanostructured films made of helical nanowires and nanosprings, which provide remarkable mechanical behavior. When subjected to wetting and drying processes, these films crack like most coatings. However, beyond the great ability of these films to shrink, the cracks partially close when these films are no longer mechanically stressed. While for conventional coatings about [Formula: see text] of the crack opening is relieved, more than [Formula: see text] of the crack opening is relieved in films of nanosprings when the film is unloaded. We show here that this quasi-reversibility is related to (i) the high compliance of the material, (ii) the low energy consumed by plasticity, and (iii) the high deformability of the film components, e.g., the nanosprings. These results are compared to the case of usual particulate films.
Subject
General Physics and Astronomy