Size-dependent thermal buckling of heated nanowires with ends axially restrained

Nanowires (NWs) are being actively explored for applications as nanoscale building blocks of sensors, actuators and nanoelectromechanical systems (NEMS). Temperature changes can induce an axial force within NWs due to the thermal expansion and may lead to buckling. The thermal buckling behaviors of ends-axially-restrained nanowires, subjected to a uniform temperature rise, are studied based on Bernoulli–Euler beam theory including the surface thermoelastic effects. Besides the surface elastic modulus, the influences of surface thermal expansion coefficient are incorporated into the model presented herein to describe size-dependent thermoelastic behaviors of nanowires. The results show that the critical buckling temperature and postbuckling deflection are significantly affected by surface thermoelastic effects and the influences become more prominent as the thickness of nanowire decreases. The corresponding influences of the slenderness ratio are also discussed. This research is helpful not only in understanding the thermal buckling properties of nanowires but also in designing the nanowire-based sensor and thermal actuator.