Mechanical annealing of Cu-Si nanowires during high-cycle fatigue

Monotonic and cyclic tension-tension tests with an upper stress in the GPa regime have been performed on Cu-Si nanowires. The results show that the exceptional high strength of these nanomaterials is maintained or even improved upon cyclic loading. Post-mortem transmission electron microscopy gives insight in the microstructural evolution. Fatigue-induced grain growth correlates with an observed increase in compliance, the formation of dislocation networks, and an increase in tensile strength.