Published online by Cambridge University Press: 16 February 2011
Thin film aluminum fibers with grain sizes of 35 and 100 nm were pulled in a microtensile tester. The larger grains led to greater yield and tensile strengths but smaller strains to failure. Both samples had mechanical strengths 3–6 times greater than bulk aluminum. In addition, the small grained fibers had a strain rate sensitivity exponent of 0.26 suggesting diffusion controlled plastic deformation mechanisms.