An Indian scientist has developed a novel method to improve the precision and accuracy of nanoindentation technique, a method used to test the mechanical properties of materials at very small scales.
The new method, developed by Dr. Sudharshan Phani of the Advanced Nanomechanical Characterization (ANC) Centre at Centre for Engineered Coatings, International Advanced Research Centre for Powder Metallurgy & New Materials (ARCI), Hyderabad, involves a combination of extensive modeling and simulation to understand the material response during an indentation test and subsequent tailoring of the methodology to improve the precision and accuracy.
The modeling results have also been validated by experiments under extreme conditions.
The new method is expected to impact a broad spectrum of scientific research on measuring the strength of materials at small scales. It could be used to develop new materials with improved properties, such as stronger and more durable materials for use in electronic devices and structural applications.
The details of the new method have been published in the prestigious journal in the field of materials science, ‘Materials & Design’.