Deflections of Nanowires with Consideration of Surface Effects

The elementary beam model is modified to include the surface effects and used to analyze the deflections of nanowires under different boundary conditions. The results show that compared to deflections of nanowires without consideration of surface effects, the surface effects can enlarge or reduce deflections of nanowires, and nanowire buckling occurs under certain conditions. This study might be helpful for design of nanowire-based nanoelectromechanical systems. (condensed matter: structure, mechanical and thermal properties)