Dynamic Plasticity and Failure of Microscale Glass: Rate-Dependent Ductile-Brittle-Ductile Transition.

Glass has been recently envisioned as a stronger and more robust alternative to silicon in microelectromechanical system applications, including high-frequency resonators and switches. Identifying the dynamic mechanical properties of microscale glass is thus vital for understanding their ability to withstand shocks and vibrations in such demanding applications. However, despite nearly half a century of research, the micromechanical properties of glass and amorphous materials in general are primarily limited to quasi-static strain rates below ∼0.