Eur. Phys. J. B (2016) 89: 84
https://doi.org/10.1140/epjb/e2016-60583-y

Regular Article

Mechanical properties of metallic thin films: theoretical approach

¹ Hanoi National University of Education, Hanoi, Vietnam
² University of Transport and Communications, Hanoi, Vietnam
³ Viet Nam Education Publishing House, Hanoi, Vietnam
⁴ Duy Tan University, Danang, Vietnam
⁵ Quang Tri Teacher Training College, Quang Tri, Vietnam

^a e-mail: hieuhk@duytan.edu.vn

Received: 20 July 2015
Received in final form: 1 December 2015
Published online: 28 March 2016

Abstract

The statistical moment method in statistical mechanics was developed to investigate the mechanical properties of free-standing metallic thin films at ambient conditions including the anharmonicity effects of thermal lattice vibrations. Analytical expressions of isothermal areal modulus B_T, Young’s modulus E and shear modulus G were derived in terms of the power moments of the atomic displacements. Numerical calculations have been performed for metallic Ni, Au and Al thin films, and compared with those of bulk metals. This method is physically transparent and it successfully described the temperature effects on mechanical properties of metallic thin films.