Nanoindentation & Nanotribology: Indents

The mechanial properties of surfaces are often different than those of bulk materials. A diamond probe can be used to perform nano-indentations of materials at known normal force in the range of 1 to 100 μN. Knowing the contact area of the nano-indenter and the normal indentation force one can determine a nano-hardness number.

In addition one can study the mode of deformation. This image shows a nano-indentation of glass with a normal force of roughly 10 μN. The pile-up on the side of the indentation is indicative of plastic deformation. These nano-indentations are generally performed in arrays of increasing normal force, or, as in this case, they can be placed at a region of interest. The nano-indentation probe itself is used to image after the indentation so the image quality is slightly reduced.