MECHANICAL RESPONSE TO DEEP-CRYOGENIC TREATMENT OF ZnO NANOWIRES GROWN ON BULK ZnO COATING

ZnO nanowires are currently used in many application fields. Thermal stability is often a concern in terms of the mechanical response and, in particular, for the elasticity of the nanowires. Literature works focused, to a certain degree, on the nanowires heating response. Anyhow, no experimental data are nowadays available in literature on the low- and very low-temperature exposures. In the present study, deep-cryogenic treatment was performed on vertically aligned ZnO nanowires produced by metal organic chemical vapor deposition. The critical buckling stress and strain of individual nanowires was not significantly influenced by the cryogenic exposure, while the bulk ZnO halved.