About this Abstract |
| Meeting |
2026 TMS Annual Meeting & Exhibition
|
| Symposium
|
Mechanical Behavior at the Nanoscale VIII
|
| Presentation Title |
Mapping Mechanics of Nanoporous Mo/Cu Architectures through Experiments and Atomistic Simulations |
| Author(s) |
Afnan Mostafa, Feitao Li, Eugen Rabkin, Niaz Abdolrahim |
| On-Site Speaker (Planned) |
Afnan Mostafa |
| Abstract Scope |
We investigate the mechanical response of nanoporous Mo, Cu, and their bicontinuous Mo/Cu architectures using molecular dynamics simulations and in situ experiments. Columnar bicontinuous Mo/Cu thin films are co-sputtered and annealed at varied temperatures to tune ligament size, following the Kurdjumov–Sachs orientation relationship. Selective Cu etching yields porous Mo films, where hardness increases from dense to porous states, and with ligament size—consistent with inverse Hall–Petch behavior—due to dislocation nucleation at Mo–Cu interfaces. To validate these observations, we employ Gaussian-leveled wave methods to model periodic, realistic morphologies with tunable ligament dimensions and orientations. Two metrics—nematic order (vertical alignment) and tortuosity (lateral connectivity)—quantitatively link experimental and simulated ligament architectures. Finally, uniaxial tension, compression, and nanoindentation reveal deformation mechanisms including dislocation activity, twinning, and stress-assisted phase transformations. These insights establish a structure–property framework for designing robust porous metals with engineered architectures for structural and functional applications. |
| Proceedings Inclusion? |
Planned: |
| Keywords |
Computational Materials Science & Engineering, Modeling and Simulation, Characterization |