Nanostructures have shown great potential to be used as the building components of many nanoelectromechanical and microelectromechanical systems. In a remarkable number of these ultrasmall devices, understanding the mechanical characteristics is crucial in order to improve the efficiency of the target system. Overall, there are three main approaches for obtaining the mechanical characteristics at nanoscales: (1) experimental techniques, (2) molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, and (3) size-dependent continuum modelling. The second and third approaches are commonly utilised as theoretical tools to explain the underlying reasons behind experimentally observed patterns and to extract the mechanical characteristics where performing reliable experiments is difficult.
In this Special Issue, recently developed experimental techniques, MD simulations, and size-dependent continuum models of structural elements at nanoscales are discussed. Nanoscale structural elements include but are not limited to carbon nanotubes, sliver nanobeams, piezoelectric nanowires, boron nitride nanotubes, and graphene sheets. Possible directions for future works on the mechanical behaviour of structures at nanoscales based on different nonlocal elasticity theories are highlighted. In particular, original articles about the mechanical properties of nanostructures and their responses to multifield loads were welcomed.
In the presented Special Issue, six research papers [1,2,3,4,5,6] are published. Topics of published papers cover analyses of different engineering problems of nanostructures. The range of themes addressed in this Special Issue is certainly not exhaustive. The scope of applications of nanostructured materials and structures in diverse environments has been broadening rapidly. Many more complex experimental, theoretical, and numerical investigations are still needed. We hope that this Special Issue will provide the reader with a state-of-the-art perspective on some current research thrusts that use different techniques to analyse and control properties of nanoscale structures.
Funding
This research received no external funding.
Conflicts of Interest
The authors declare no conflict of interest.
Footnotes
Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
References
- 1.Mohammad R.S., Aldlemy M.S., Hassan M.S.A., Abdulla A.I., Scholz M., Yaseen Z.M. Frictional Pressure Drop and Cost Savings for Graphene Nanoplatelets Nanofluids in Turbulent Flow Environments. Nanomaterials. 2021;11:3094. doi: 10.3390/nano11113094. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- 2.Colatosti M., Fantuzzi N., Trovalusci P. Dynamic Characterization of Microstructured Materials Made of Hexagonal-Shape Particles with Elastic Interfaces. Nanomaterials. 2021;11:1781. doi: 10.3390/nano11071781. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- 3.Vaccaro M.S., Pinnola F.P., Marotti de Sciarra F., Barretta R. Dynamics of Stress-Driven Two-Phase Elastic Beams. Nanomaterials. 2021;11:1138. doi: 10.3390/nano11051138. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- 4.Xu L., Yang K., Wei H., Liu L., Li X., Chen L., Xu T., Wang X. Full-Scale Pore Structure Characteristics and the Main Controlling Factors of Mesoproterozoic Xiamaling Shale in Zhangjiakou, Hebei, China. Nanomaterials. 2021;11:527. doi: 10.3390/nano11020527. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- 5.Kiani K., Żur K.K. Dynamic Behavior of Magnetically Affected Rod-Like Nanostructures with Multiple Defects via Nonlocal-Integral/Differential-Based Models. Nanomaterials. 2020;10:2306. doi: 10.3390/nano10112306. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- 6.Fang C., Zhang J., Chen X., Weng G.J. Calculating the Electrical Conductivity of Graphene Nanoplatelet Polymer Composites by a Monte Carlo Method. Nanomaterials. 2020;10:1129. doi: 10.3390/nano10061129. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]