Mechanical testing of pyrolysed poly-furfuryl alcohol nanofibres

We present experimental results on the characterization of the mechanical properties of pyrolysed poly-furfuryl alcohol (PFA) nanofibres. Specifically, Young's modulus and the fracture strain of the nanofibres were measured by performing uni-axial tensile experiments on individual nanofibres in situ in a scanning electron microscope (SEM) using a microfabricated tensile testing device. The nanofibres tested varied in diameter from 150 to 300 nm. Young's modulus is observed to be within the 1.3-2 GPa range.