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A special issue of Nanomaterials (ISSN 2079-4991). This special issue belongs to the section "Synthesis, Interfaces and Nanostructures".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (23 April 2021) | Viewed by 34657

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Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Rossana Dimitri

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Guest Editor

Department of Innovation Engineering, University of Salento, 73100 Lecce, Italy
Interests: damage and fracture mechanics; contact mechanics; structural mechanics; solid mechanics; computational mechanics; advanced composite materials; nanomaterials and nanotechnology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Francesco Tornabene

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Guest Editor

Department of Innovation Engineering, University of Salento, 73100 Lecce, Italy
Interests: theory of shells, plates, arches, and beams; generalized differential quadrature; FEM; SFEM; WFEM; IGA; SFIGA; WFIGA; advanced composite materials; functionally graded materials; nanomaterials and nanotechnology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear colleagues,

The continuous development of novel composite materials with increased mechanical performances and low density has encouraged the adoption of different components, such as functionally graded materials (FGMs), carbon nanotubes (CNTs), graphene nanoplatelets, or SMART constituents for many practical engineering applications, e.g., biomedicine, aerospace facilities, automotive industry, energy devices, and civil applications.

In a context where the recent requirements in design and manufacturing have led to an increased development of nanoshells, carbon nanotubes, and paramagnetic nanoparticles, this Special Issue aims at gathering together experts and young researchers for the mechanical modeling of materials and structures in the small-scale range. The physical and mechanical properties of small-scale structures are well known to be size-dependent. This represents a key aspect, largely explored both theoretically and computationally by means of advanced nonlocal approaches. These are here explored to handle both the continuum solid mechanics and fracture mechanics, for which the nonlocal aspect is a requisite for a realistic description of fracture, including the crack inception or propagation and the structural size effect related to the existence of a finite size fracture process zone. Advanced theories and high-performance computational modeling on the statics or dynamics of nano-systems and nano-structures are welcome, together with the development of enhanced nonlocal damage and fracturing models, able to capture the formation and propagation of the internal cracks related to the heterogeneity of complex materials and interfaces.

Prof. Dr. Rossana Dimitri
Prof. Francesco Tornabene
Guest Editors

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Nanomaterials is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

Adhesion
Advanced computational methods
Complex materials
Composite nanobeams, nanoplates and nanoshells
Delamination
High-performance computational methods
Nano engineering
Nonlocal theories
Fracture mechanics
Size-effects

Published Papers (12 papers)

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Editorial

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3 pages, 197 KiB

Open AccessEditorial

Special Issue on Advanced Mechanical Modeling of Nanomaterials and Nanostructures

by Rossana Dimitri and Francesco Tornabene

Nanomaterials 2022, 12(13), 2291; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano12132291 - 04 Jul 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1224

Abstract

The increased requirements in design and manufacturing nanotechnology have favored the development of enhanced composite materials with tailored properties, such as functionally graded (FG) and carbon-based materials, primarily carbon nanotubes (CNTs), and graphene sheets or nanoplatelets, because of their remarkable mechanical properties, electrical [...] Read more.

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Mechanical Modeling of Nanomaterials and Nanostructures)

Research

Jump to: Editorial

28 pages, 6746 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Nonlocal Analysis of the Flexural–Torsional Stability for FG Tapered Thin-Walled Beam-Columns

by Masoumeh Soltani, Farzaneh Atoufi, Foudil Mohri, Rossana Dimitri and Francesco Tornabene

Nanomaterials 2021, 11(8), 1936; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano11081936 - 27 Jul 2021

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 2241

Abstract

This paper addresses the flexural–torsional stability of functionally graded (FG) nonlocal thin-walled beam-columns with a tapered I-section. The material composition is assumed to vary continuously in the longitudinal direction based on a power-law distribution. Possible small-scale effects are included within the formulation according to the Eringen nonlocal elasticity assumptions. The stability equations of the problem and the associated boundary conditions are derived based on the Vlasov thin-walled beam theory and energy method, accounting for the coupled interaction between axial and bending forces. The coupled equilibrium equations are solved numerically by means of the differential quadrature method (DQM) to determine the flexural–torsional buckling loads associated to the selected structural system. A parametric study is performed to check for the influence of some meaningful input parameters, such as the power-law index, the nonlocal parameter, the axial load eccentricity, the mode number and the tapering ratio, on the flexural–torsional buckling load of tapered thin-walled FG nanobeam-columns, whose results could be used as valid benchmarks for further computational validations of similar nanosystems. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Mechanical Modeling of Nanomaterials and Nanostructures)

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10 pages, 3928 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Computational Study on Surface Bonding Based on Nanocone Arrays

by Xiaohui Song, Shunli Wu and Rui Zhang

Nanomaterials 2021, 11(6), 1369; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano11061369 - 21 May 2021

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1808

Abstract

Surface bonding is an essential step in device manufacturing and assembly, providing mechanical support, heat transfer, and electrical integration. Molecular dynamics simulations of surface bonding and debonding failure of copper nanocones are conducted to investigate the underlying adhesive mechanism of nanocones and the effects of separation distance, contact length, temperature, and size of the cones. It is found that van der Waals interactions and surface atom diffusion simultaneously contribute to bonding strength, and different adhesive mechanisms play a main role in different regimes. The results reveal that increasing contact length and decreasing separation distance can simultaneously contribute to increasing bonding strength. Furthermore, our simulations indicate that a higher temperature promotes diffusion across the interface so that subsequent cooling results in better adhesion when compared with cold bonding at the same lower temperature. It also reveals that maximum bonding strength was obtained when the cone angle was around 53°. These findings are useful in designing advanced metallic bonding processes at low temperatures and pressure with tenable performance. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Mechanical Modeling of Nanomaterials and Nanostructures)

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14 pages, 3649 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Molecular Dynamics Simulation for the Effect of Fluorinated Graphene Oxide Layer Spacing on the Thermal and Mechanical Properties of Fluorinated Epoxy Resin

by Qijun Duan, Jun Xie, Guowei Xia, Chaoxuan Xiao, Xinyu Yang, Qing Xie and Zhengyong Huang

Nanomaterials 2021, 11(5), 1344; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano11051344 - 20 May 2021

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2713

Abstract

Traditional epoxy resin (EP) materials have difficulty to meet the performance requirements in the increasingly complex operating environment of the electrical and electronic industry. Therefore, it is necessary to study the design and development of new epoxy composites. At present, fluorinated epoxy resin (F-EP) is widely used, but its thermal and mechanical properties cannot meet the demand. In this paper, fluorinated epoxy resin was modified by ordered filling of fluorinated graphene oxide (FGO). The effect of FGO interlayer spacing on the thermal and mechanical properties of the composite was studied by molecular dynamics (MD) simulation. It is found that FGO with ordered filling can significantly improve the thermal and mechanical properties of F-EP, and the modification effect is better than that of FGO with disordered filling. When the interlayer spacing of FGO is about 9 Å, the elastic modulus, glass transition temperature, thermal expansion coefficient, and thermal conductivity of FGO are improved with best effect. Furthermore, we calculated the micro parameters of different systems, and analyzed the influencing mechanism of ordered filling and FGO layer spacing on the properties of F-EP. It is considered that FGO can bind the F-EP molecules on both sides of the nanosheets, reducing the movement ability of the molecular segments of the materials, so as to achieve the enhancement effect. The results can provide new ideas for the development of high-performance epoxy nanocomposites. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Mechanical Modeling of Nanomaterials and Nanostructures)

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11 pages, 2187 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Fabrication of Pressure Sensor Using Electrospinning Method for Robotic Tactile Sensing Application

by Tamil Selvan Ramadoss, Yuya Ishii, Amutha Chinnappan, Marcelo H. Ang and Seeram Ramakrishna

Nanomaterials 2021, 11(5), 1320; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano11051320 - 17 May 2021

Cited by 12 | Viewed by 2925

Abstract

Tactile sensors are widely used by the robotics industries over decades to measure force or pressure produced by external stimuli. Piezoelectric-based pressure sensors have intensively been investigated as promising candidates for tactile sensing applications. In contrast, piezoelectric-based pressure sensors are expensive due to their high cost of manufacturing and expensive base materials. Recently, an effect similar to the piezoelectric effect has been identified in non-piezoelectric polymers such as poly(d,l-lactic acid (PDLLA), poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) and polystyrene. Hence investigations were conducted on alternative materials to find their suitability. In this article, we used inexpensive atactic polystyrene (aPS) as the base polymer and fabricated functional fibers using an electrospinning method. Fiber morphologies were studied using a field-emission scanning electron microscope and proposed a unique pressure sensor fabrication method. A fabricated pressure sensor was subjected to different pressures and corresponding electrical and mechanical characteristics were analyzed. An open circuit voltage of 3.1 V was generated at 19.9 kPa applied pressure, followed by an integral output charge (ΔQ), which was measured to calculate the average apparent piezoelectric constant d_app and was found to be 12.9 ± 1.8 pC N⁻¹. A fabricated pressure sensor was attached to a commercially available robotic arm to mimic the tactile sensing. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Mechanical Modeling of Nanomaterials and Nanostructures)

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15 pages, 4062 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Development of an Innovative and Green Method to Obtain Nanoparticles in Aqueous Solution from Carbon-Based Waste Ashes

by Raffaella Striani, Enrica Stasi, Antonella Giuri, Miriam Seiti, Eleonora Ferraris and Carola Esposito Corcione

Nanomaterials 2021, 11(3), 577; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano11030577 - 25 Feb 2021

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 1840

Abstract

In this study, an original and green procedure to produce water-based solutions containing nanometric recycled carbon particles is proposed. The nanometric particles are obtained starting from carbon waste ashes, produced by the wooden biomass pyro-gasification plant CMD (Costruzioni motori diesel) ECO20. The latter is an integrated system combining a downdraft gasifier, a spark-ignition internal combustion engine, an electric generator and syngas cleaning devices, and it can produce electric and thermal power up to 20 kWe and 40 kWth. The carbon-based ashes (CA) produced by the CMD ECO20 plant were, first, characterized by using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and microcomputed tomography (microCT). Afterward, they were reduced in powder by using a milling mortar and analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectrometry, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), X-ray diffraction (WAXD) and Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. The optimization of an original procedure to reduce the dimensions of the ashes in an aqueous solution was then developed by using ball milling and sonication techniques, and the nanometric dimensions of the particles dispersed in water were estimated by dynamic light scattering (DLS) measurements in the order of 300 nm. Finally, possible industrial applications for the nanomaterials obtained from the waste ashes are suggested, including, for example, inks for Aerosol Jet^® Printing (AJ^® P). Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Mechanical Modeling of Nanomaterials and Nanostructures)

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15 pages, 9321 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Atomistic Modelling of Size-Dependent Mechanical Properties and Fracture of Pristine and Defective Cove-Edged Graphene Nanoribbons

by Daniela A. Damasceno, R.K.N.D. Nimal Rajapakse and Euclides Mesquita

Nanomaterials 2020, 10(7), 1422; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano10071422 - 21 Jul 2020

Cited by 12 | Viewed by 3146

Abstract

Cove-edged graphene nanoribbons (CGNR) are a class of nanoribbons with asymmetric edges composed of alternating hexagons and have remarkable electronic properties. Although CGNRs have attractive size-dependent electronic properties their mechanical properties have not been well understood. In practical applications, the mechanical properties such as tensile strength, ductility and fracture toughness play an important role, especially during device fabrication and operation. This work aims to fill a gap in the understanding of the mechanical behaviour of CGNRs by studying the edge and size effects on the mechanical response by using molecular dynamic simulations. Pristine graphene structures are rarely found in applications. Therefore, this study also examines the effects of topological defects on the mechanical behaviour of CGNR. Ductility and fracture patterns of CGNR with divacancy and topological defects are studied. The results reveal that the CGNR become stronger and slightly more ductile as the width increases in contrast to normal zigzag GNR. Furthermore, the mechanical response of defective CGNRs show complex dependency on the defect configuration and distribution, while the direction of the fracture propagation has a complex dependency on the defect configuration and position. The results also confirm the possibility of topological design of graphene to tailor properties through the manipulation of defect types, orientation, and density and defect networks. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Mechanical Modeling of Nanomaterials and Nanostructures)

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13 pages, 5078 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Multi-Scale Analysis and Testing of Tensile Behavior in Polymers with Randomly Oriented and Agglomerated Cellulose Nanofibers

by Fumio Narita, Yinli Wang, Hiroki Kurita and Masashi Suzuki

Nanomaterials 2020, 10(4), 700; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano10040700 - 07 Apr 2020

Cited by 16 | Viewed by 3143

Abstract

Cellulose nanofiber (CNF) has been accepted as a valid nanofiller that can improve the mechanical properties of composite materials by mechanical and chemical methods. The purpose of this work is to numerically and experimentally evaluate the mechanical behavior of CNF-reinforced polymer composites under tensile loading. Finite element analysis (FEA) was conducted using a model for the representative volume element of CNF/epoxy composites to determine the effective Young’s modulus and the stress state within the composites. The possible random orientation of the CNFs was considered in the finite element model. Tensile tests were also conducted on the CNF/epoxy composites to identify the effect of CNFs on their tensile behavior. The numerical findings were then correlated with the test results. The present randomly oriented CNF/epoxy composite model provides a means for exploring the property interactions across different length scales. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Mechanical Modeling of Nanomaterials and Nanostructures)

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16 pages, 2197 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Buckling Behavior of FG-CNT Reinforced Composite Conical Shells Subjected to a Combined Loading

by Abdullah H. Sofiyev, Francesco Tornabene, Rossana Dimitri and Nuri Kuruoglu

Nanomaterials 2020, 10(3), 419; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano10030419 - 28 Feb 2020

Cited by 55 | Viewed by 2815

Abstract

The buckling behavior of functionally graded carbon nanotube reinforced composite conical shells (FG-CNTRC-CSs) is here investigated by means of the first order shear deformation theory (FSDT), under a combined axial/lateral or axial/hydrostatic loading condition. Two types of CNTRC-CSs are considered herein, namely, a uniform distribution or a functionally graded (FG) distribution of reinforcement, with a linear variation of the mechanical properties throughout the thickness. The basic equations of the problem are here derived and solved in a closed form, using the Galerkin procedure, to determine the critical combined loading for the selected structure. First, we check for the reliability of the proposed formulation and the accuracy of results with respect to the available literature. It follows a systematic investigation aimed at checking the sensitivity of the structural response to the geometry, the proportional loading parameter, the type of distribution, and volume fraction of CNTs. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Mechanical Modeling of Nanomaterials and Nanostructures)

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15 pages, 6569 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Buckling Behavior of Nanobeams Placed in Electromagnetic Field Using Shifted Chebyshev Polynomials-Based Rayleigh-Ritz Method

by Subrat Kumar Jena, Snehashish Chakraverty and Francesco Tornabene

Nanomaterials 2019, 9(9), 1326; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano9091326 - 16 Sep 2019

Cited by 24 | Viewed by 3450

Abstract

In the present investigation, the buckling behavior of Euler–Bernoulli nanobeam, which is placed in an electro-magnetic field, is investigated in the framework of Eringen’s nonlocal theory. Critical buckling load for all the classical boundary conditions such as “Pined–Pined (P-P), Clamped–Pined (C-P), Clamped–Clamped (C-C), and Clamped-Free (C-F)” are obtained using shifted Chebyshev polynomials-based Rayleigh-Ritz method. The main advantage of the shifted Chebyshev polynomials is that it does not make the system ill-conditioning with the higher number of terms in the approximation due to the orthogonality of the functions. Validation and convergence studies of the model have been carried out for different cases. Also, a closed-form solution has been obtained for the “Pined–Pined (P-P)” boundary condition using Navier’s technique, and the numerical results obtained for the “Pined–Pined (P-P)” boundary condition are validated with a closed-form solution. Further, the effects of various scaling parameters on the critical buckling load have been explored, and new results are presented as Figures and Tables. Finally, buckling mode shapes are also plotted to show the sensitiveness of the critical buckling load. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Mechanical Modeling of Nanomaterials and Nanostructures)

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12 pages, 3867 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Modeling Analysis of Silk Fibroin/Poly(ε-caprolactone) Nanofibrous Membrane under Uniaxial Tension

by Yunlei Yin, Xinfei Zhao and Jie Xiong

Nanomaterials 2019, 9(8), 1149; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano9081149 - 10 Aug 2019

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 3144

Abstract

Evaluating the mechanical ability of nanofibrous membranes during processing and end uses in tissue engineering is important. We propose a geometric model to predict the uniaxial behavior of randomly oriented nanofibrous membrane based on the structural characteristics and tensile properties of single nanofibers. Five types of silk fibroin (SF)/poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) nanofibers were prepared with different mixture ratios via an electrospinning process. Stress–strain responses of single nanofibers and nanofibrous membranes were tested. We confirmed that PCL improves the flexibility and ductility of SF/PCL composite membranes. The applicability of the analytical model was verified by comparison between modeling prediction and experimental data. Experimental stress was a little lower than the modeling results because the membranes were not ideally uniform, the nanofibers were not ideally straight, and some nanofibers in the membranes were not effectively loaded. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Mechanical Modeling of Nanomaterials and Nanostructures)

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10 pages, 4493 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Detwinning Mechanism for Nanotwinned Cubic Boron Nitride with Unprecedented Strength: A First-Principles Study

by Bo Yang, Xianghe Peng, Sha Sun, Cheng Huang, Deqiang Yin, Xiang Chen and Tao Fu

Nanomaterials 2019, 9(8), 1117; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano9081117 - 03 Aug 2019

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 4435

Abstract

Synthesized nanotwinned cubic boron nitride (nt-cBN) and nanotwinned diamond (nt-diamond) exhibit extremely high hardness and excellent stability, in which nanotwinned structure plays a crucial role. Here we reveal by first-principles calculations a strengthening mechanism of detwinning, which is induced by partial slip on a glide-set plane. We found that continuous partial slip in the nanotwinned structure under large shear strain can effectively delay the structural graphitization and promote the phase transition from twin structure to cubic structure, which helps to increase the maximum strain range and peak stress. Moreover, ab initio molecular dynamics simulation reveals a stabilization mechanism for nanotwin. These results can help us to understand the unprecedented strength and stability arising from the twin boundaries. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Mechanical Modeling of Nanomaterials and Nanostructures)

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