Physics Commons^™

Atomistic Mechanisms And Dynamics Of Adhesion, Nanoindentation, And Fracture, Nancy Burnham, Uzi Landman, Wd Luedtke, Richard Colton

Nancy A. Burnham

Molecular dynamics simulations and atomic force microscopy are used to investigate the atomistic mechanisms of adhesion, contact formation, nanoindentation, separation, and fracture that occur when a nickel tip interacts with a gold surface. The theoretically predicted and experimentally measured hysteresis in the force versus tip-to-sample distance relationship, found upon approach and subsequent separation of the tip from the sample, is related to inelastic deformation of the sample surface characterized by adhesion of gold atoms to the nickel tip and formation of a connective neck of atoms. At small tipsample distances, mechanical instability causes the tip and surface to jump-to-contact, which …