Modulus of resilience, the measure of a material‚Äôs ability to store and release elastic strain energy, is critical for realizing advanced mechanical actuation technologies in micro/nanoelectromechanical systems. In general, engineering the modulus of resilience is difficult because it requires asymmetrically increasing yield strength and Young‚Äôs modulus against their mutual scaling behavior. This task becomes further challenging if it needs to be carried out at the nanometer scale. Here, we demonstrate organic‚Äìinorganic hybrid composite nanopillars with one of the highest modulus of resilience per density by utilizing vapor-phase aluminum oxide and zinc oxide infiltration in lithographically patterned negative photoresist SU-8. In situ nanomechanical measurements reveal a metal-like high yield strength (‚àº500 MPa) with an unusually low, foam-like Young‚Äôs modulus (‚àº7 GPa), a unique pairing that yields ultrahigh modulus of resilience, reaching up to ‚àº24 MJ/m3 as well as exceptional modulus of resilience per density of ‚àº13.4 kJ/kg, surpassing those of most engineering materials. The hybrid polymer nanocomposite features lightweight, ultrahigh tunable modulus of resilience and versatile nanoscale lithographic patternability with potential for application as nanomechanical components which require ultrahigh mechanical resilience and strength such as flexible display or durable three-dimensional structures in polymer-based micro-electro-mechanical-systems (MEMS).

Ultrahigh Elastic Strain Energy Storage in Metal-Oxide-Infiltrated Patterned Hybrid Polymer Nanocomposites

The Virtual Technical Meeting of the Society of Engineering Science 2020 is the first fully virtual meeting of the SES community to envision and connect during the hiatus created by Covid-19, providing a platform for the exchange of ideas, and to showcase the latest research in the field of engineering science.

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