We consider the effect of an elastic modulus that decreases with depth on the load-displacement relation for indentation of a graded half space by a rigid indenter. A closed-form approximation incorporating features of the plate on an elastic substrate and the Hertzian contact theory is compared with finite element results for the case of a uniform stiff layer on a homogeneous substrate. Some g...

Trapped substances between a two-dimensional (2D) crystal and an atomically flat substrate lead to the formation of bubbles. Their size, shape and internal pressure are determined by the competition between van der Waals attraction of the crystal to the substrate and the elastic energy needed to deform it, allowing to use bubbles to study elastic properties of 2D crystals and conditions of conf...

The optimal shapes attained by contractile cells on adhesive substrates are determined by the interplay between intracellular forces and adhesion with the extracellular matrix. We model the cell as a contractile film bounded by an elastic cortex and connected to the substrate via elastic links. When the adhesion sites are continuously distributed, optimal cell shape is constrained by the adhesi...

A controllable ferroelastic switching in ferroelectric/multiferroic oxides is highly desirable due to the non-volatile strain and possible coupling between lattice and other order parameter in heterostructures. However, a substrate clamping usually inhibits their elastic deformation in thin films without micro/nano-patterned structure so that the integration of the non-volatile strain with thin...

A model for island formation in submonolayer epitaxy has been studied in the presence of elastic strain by means of a Monte Carlo simulation. The description, based on rate equations, leads to scaling predictions for cluster statistics and diffusion rates. We generalize these predictions to include the effects of the repulsive elastic interaction. The elastic interaction is caused by the deform...

We report on the experimental study of the propagation of surface guided waves in a periodic arrangement of pillars on a semi-infinite medium. Samples composed of nickel pillars grown on a lithium niobate substrate were prepared and wide bandwidth transducers were used for the electrical generation of surface elastic waves. We identify a complete band gap for surface guided waves appearing at f...

Arrays of elastic pillars are used in biophysical experiments as sensors for traction forces. The evaluation of the forces can be complicated if they are coupled to the pillar displacements over large distances. This is the case if many of the pillars are interconnected by elastic linkages as, for example, in fiber networks that are grown on top of pillars. To calculate the traction forces in s...

This paper proposes an identification methodology based on nanoindentation analysis of coating/substrate system to extract the elastic-plastic properties coating materials substrate when indenter penetration depth is greater than film thickness. In order accurately predict materials, a trust-region reflective optimization algorithm integrated with finite element analysis, in cooperation Jönsson...

We have studied the so-called roof collapse in soft lithography. Roof collapse is due to the adhesion between the PDMS stamp and substrate, and it may affect the quality of soft lithography. Our analysis accounts for the interactions of multiple punches and the effect of elastic mismatch between the PDMS stamp and substrate. A scaling law among the stamp modulus, punch height and spacing, and w...

A material's mechanical properties greatly control cell behavior at the cell–substrate interface. In this work, we demonstrate that microgel multilayers have unique elastic and viscoelastic-like properties that can be modulated to produce morphological changes in fibroblasts cultured on the film. Protein adsorption is also examined and the data are contrasted with the number of cells adhered. T...