Nanotechnology is a progressive research and development topic with large amounts of venture capital and government funding being invested worldwide. Nano mechanics, in particular, is the study and characterization of the mechanical behaviour of individual atoms, systems and structures in response to various types of forces and loading conditions.
This text, written by respected researchers in the field, informs researchers and practitioners about the fundamental concepts in nano mechanics and materials, focusing on their modelling via multiple scale methods and techniques. The book systematically covers the theory behind multi-particle and nanoscale systems, introduces multiple scale methods, and finally looks at contemporary applications in nano-structured and bio-inspired materials.
Stability and dynamics of thin (<100 nm) viscoelastic films have been studied extensively in recent times because of their importance in various products and processes such as coatings, adhesives, microfluidic devices and membranes. They also appear as the lining of mammalian lungs, as the tear film of the cornea and in the contact region of the cell-cell or cell-substrate adhesion. Recent studies on thin bilayers have shown a richer variety of instability and dewetting pathways that are of potential use in mesoscale patterning of polymers for optoelectronic, micro-electromechanical systems, and sensor applications. Experiments involving the instabilities of thin bilayers on patterned substrate are found to be extremely useful in generating large area patterns. Polymer bilayers also serve as simple hydrodynamic models for the adhesion of biological membranes to solids in the presence of a surrounding liquid. Thus, we are investigating the instability and dynamics thin single and multiple layers on plane, rough and porous surfaces under the influence of gravitational field, intermolecular forces as well as external electric or magnetic fields.