Research
Our mission statement
We pioneer the development of nanomechanical testing techniques and use them to address current materials engineering challenges. Our goal is to understand the mechanical behavior of materials across all length scales.
Understanding deformation mechanisms at the micrometer to nanometer scale is crucial for predicting the lifetime of engineering systems, as their failure is usually initiated from microscopic weak spots. However, conventional macroscopic characterisation techniques are not suitable for this purpose. We can overcome these experimental challenges at the department by developing innovative nanomechanical methods, which we combine with high-resolution imaging and analytical characterization. This allows us to identify microscopic deformation processes. Our core expertise is nanoindentation, electron microscopy and ion microscopy (FIB-SEM).