Elastic mapping and quantitative nanoscale modulus measurements of SnO2 nanobelts

Published

December 21, 2006

Author(s)

Yuegui Zheng, Robert E. Geer, Malgorzata Kopycinska-Mueller, Donna C. Hurley

Abstract

A comparative study of the elastic uniformity and modulus of single-crystal SnO2 nanobelts is presented employing two nondestructive techniques based on atomic force microscopy: differential ultrasonic force microscopy (d-UFM) and atomic force acoustic microcopy (AFAM). In mapping mode both techniques revealed uniform elastic response across the surface of the nanobelts as expected for single crystal nanostructures. Comparative analyses of the local indentation modulus (probe area 100 nm2) were undertaken using both techniques at multiple points on the same SnO₂ nanobelt exhibiting a (102) surface crystalline orientation as determined by electron backscatter diffraction. Both d-UFM and AFAM exhibited excellent quantitative agreement yielding indentation moduli of 154 ± 14 GPa and 154 ± 18 GPa, respectively. These values are significantly below the expected value of the (102) indentation modulus of 358 GPa for crystalline SnO₂ determined from the Green?s function model of Barnett and Lothe adapted by Vlassak and coworkers. This observation is consistent with recent nanoindentation (destructive) measurements of (110) oriented SnO₂ nanobelts that yielded an indentation modulus of 66 ± 10 GPa, well below the expected value of 308 GPa. In addition to confirming the quantitative consistency and overall accuracy of nanoscale modulus measurements using d-UFM and AFAM, the overall trend in these data contradict recent molecular dynamics studies that call for increased elastic moduli in similar nanobelt structures.

Citation

Journal of Applied Physics

Volume

100

Issue

12

Pub Type

Journals

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Keywords

atomic force acoustic microscopy, elastic modulus, nanobelts, ultrasonic force microscopy

Citation

Zheng, Y. , Geer, R. , Kopycinska-Mueller, M. and Hurley, D. (2006), Elastic mapping and quantitative nanoscale modulus measurements of SnO2 nanobelts, Journal of Applied Physics, [online], https://tsapps.nist.gov/publication/get_pdf.cfm?pub_id=50382 (Accessed October 14, 2025)