The martensitic phase transformation in Ti40.4Ni48Hf11.6 shape memory alloys is leveraged for bi-directional actuation with TiNiHf/SiO2/Si composites. properties of magnetron sputtered films annealed at 635°C – 5 min are influenced by film thickness and the underlying substrate. Decreasing TiNiHf from 21 μm to 110 nm results reduction all characteristic temperatures until a critical reached. Pa...

In the present study two organic guest host system are being explored for electronic applications based on 2-methyl 4-nitroaniline (2-mNA)/polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) and 2-mNA/ polyethersulfone (PES). Freestanding poled polymeric films have wide applications in nonlinear optics and in various photonics applications. Exploring dielectric capability of these films can be beneficial for many op...

The Membrane Deflection Experiment was used to examine size effects on freestanding thin film gold membranes. It is the first micro-scale testing scheme where the loading procedure is straightforward and accomplished in a highly sensitive manner while preserving the independent measurement of stress and strain. Stress-strain curves were obtained on films 0.3, 0.5 and 1.0 μm thick including memb...

The plane-strain bulge test is a powerful new technique for measuring the mechanical properties of thin films. In this technique, the stress–strain curve of a thin film is determined from the pressure-deflection behavior of a long rectangular membrane made of the film of interest. For a thin membrane in a state of plane strain, film stress and stain are distributed uniformly across the membrane...

and the cross-plane thermal conductivity K ⊥ ≈ 20 W m −1 K −1 at room temperature (RT). [ 2,3 ] Despite its large K and K / K ⊥ ≈ 100, unprocessed graphite cannot be used for thermal management because it does not meet industry requirements, e.g., fl exibility. The commercial thermal pads based on composites with chemically processed graphite have lower K and smaller K / K ⊥ ratios. These consi...

A simple method for penetrating the barrier layer of an anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) film and for detaching the AAO film from residual Al foil was developed by reversing the bias voltage in situ after the anodization process is completed. With this technique, we have been able to obtain large pieces of free-standing AAO membranes with regular pore sizes of sub-10 nm. By combining Ar ion milling ...

In nanocrystalline metals, lack of intragranular dislocation sources leads to plastic deformation mechanisms that substantially differ from those in coarse-grained metals. However, irrespective of grain size, plastic deformation is considered irrecoverable. We show experimentally that plastically deformed nanocrystalline aluminum and gold films with grain sizes of 65 nanometers and 50 nanometer...