Transverse surface mechanical behavior and modified elastic modulus for charged nanostructures

Key Laboratory of Mechanics on Western Disaster and Environment, Ministry of Education, PRC and Department of Mechanics and Engineering Science, College of Civil Engineering and Mechanics, Lanzhou University Lanzhou, Gansu 730000, PRC

Corresponding authors: zhulinl03@lzu.cn xjzheng@lzu.edu.cn

Received: 27 June 2008
Accepted: 30 July 2008

Abstract

The reversible surface stretch often emerges from the Hellman-Feynman forces exerted on the charged surfaces, leading to the change of the surface stress. A generalized surface elasticity theory is formulated, which allows one to analyze the transverse surface mechanical behavior. The involved transverse surface elastic constants are determined by an efficient method based on analyzing the process of molecular-dynamics simulation for surface elasticity. Our approach provides a framework with which the direct relation between the in-plane surface stress and the transverse surface elastic deformation is addressed in the presence of the surface charges. We also find the significant modification in the elastic modulus of nanostructures due to the existence of the transverse component of surface stress and strain arisen from the surface charges.