Microscale technique for in situ measurement of elastic parameters of materials under reactive atmosphere

This article discusses a technique for measuring elastic bulk parameters of metallic samples of micrometric sizes (3–100 μm thick) under a controlled atmosphere. This method offers the benefit of being relatively easy to implement, relying on off-the-shelf instrumentation, while still providing an excellent sensitivity. Furthermore, this technique allows the analysis of the elastic behavior of thin film that is not possible with another approach. A small cell that holds microcantilever shaped metal has been designed to perform measurements from vacuum to several bars of reactive atmosphere such as hydrogen. Young’s modulus and internal friction of materials were measured by the flexural resonance response of the cantilever. We discuss the reliability of the continuum mechanics on a microscopic scale in order to understand the limit thickness of palladium microcantilever which was experimentally found to be 20 μm. Then, we demonstrate that the measurements of Young’s modulus of different materials (Al, Au,...