Mechanical properties of TiO2 nanotubes investigated by AFM and FEM

Abstract

The mechanical measurements of nanostructures are crucial to the development and processing of novel nanodevices. In this study, TiO2 nanotubes were synthesised using an electrospinning method combined with subsequent heat treatment. A simple experimental method is established to measure the elastic modulus of a single nanotube based on atomic force microscopy (AFM) technology. Subsequently, the finite element method (FEM) is employed to evaluate the effect of the elastic modulus of TiO2 and dimensional size on the mechanical behaviours of the TiO2 nanotubes. The results show that, by combining AFM with FEM technology, the mechanical behaviour of a single TiO2 nanotube can be predicted efficiently in the linear elastic region.