Solids in Nano-Scales - Extreme Strength and Elasticity

Due to the removal or designed arrangement of defects, solids in nano-scales may exhibit extreme strength and elasticity. The present report intends to describe new progresses under this pursuit. The reported findings are facilitated experimentally by a newly designed X-Nano device which is capable to load the nano-scaled specimen in various dimensions steadily with an angstrom step length. The specimen can be made by diamond, ice or metals. For single crystal diamond nano-needles, we are able to achieve an extreme bending strength of 125GPa， quite close to the theoretical strength of diamond. For ice fibers of sub-micron diameter, an extreme elastic strain of 10.9% is reported, far exceeding the previous value of 0.3%. For high entropy alloy in nano-scale, an extreme elastic strain of about 10% can be achieved. The tension-induced melting for crystalline metals, as envisaged 112 years ago by F.A. Lindemann, is realized. These results indicate an ample space for upgrading the mechanical behavior of solids in nano-scales.