The enhanced elastic modulus of nanowires associated with multitwins

In this study, we performed molecular static simulations to investigate the enhanced elastic modulus of multiply twinned nanowires (MTNs) that had fivefold twin planes. MTNs have the same size-dependent elastic behavior as twin-free nanowires (TFNs), however, the simulation results reveal stiffer elastic behavior of MTNs when compared with that of TFNs of the same size. This is because atomic rearrangement occurs inside MTNs through the intrinsic elastic deformation as a result of their unique geometry. These results are supported by the elastic-modulus distribution on the cross-sectional area-the elastic modulus increases close to the central part of MTNs-and the intrinsically strained structure that has a highly compressed central portion in the radial direction. (c) 2010 American Institute of Physics. [doi:10.1063/1.3354098]