TY - CONF A1 - Elabshihy, Karim T1 - Nano-mechanical characterization of epoxy/Cu interphase N2 - Characterization of the mechanical properties of interphases is essential when designing multicomponent materials such as fiber-reinforced matrices, protective coatings or multi-layered structures for integrated circuits. It can provide vital information about the durability of the finished product as a composite because failure is often initiated in the interfacial region induced by internal or external stress during fabrication or service. Nanoindentation is a powerful tool for investigating mechanical properties on the micro/nano scale. However, there are some challenges associated with conducting nanoindentation near interface regions. One main challenge is that the small thickness of the interphase region (typically 1-2µm) makes it difficult to apply several adjacent indents without overlap. Another issue is that the indentations are usually restricted by local reinforcement, and it becomes difficult to isolate the change in mechanical properties due solely to interphase formation. In this study we try to gauge the feasibility of nanoindentation for characterizing epoxy/Cu interphases. We develop a sample preparation method and optimize nanoindentation parameters in an attempt to avoid the restrictions mentioned above. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) and finite element analysis are employed as reference techniques to evaluate the effectiveness of our technique. We show the influence of preparation method and nanoindentaion parameters on measurements of interphase properties and how they relate the mentioned challenges. T2 - Nanobrücken 2016 CY - Saarbrücken, Germany DA - 02.03.2016 KW - Composite KW - Epoxy KW - Interphase KW - Nanoindentation PY - 2016 AN - OPUS4-35496 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER -