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We discuss here the complete determination of the elastic properties of a polyimide film using two experimental techniques. One technique employs the polymer film as a vibrating membrane and allows a direct determination of the ’macroscopic’ biaxial modulus. Brillouin scattering, which measures the elastic properties on a ∼ 100 μ scale, allows for a complete characterization of the elastic behavior. The results obtained by the two techniques are in agreement within the reported error bars.

The experimental fact that measured elastic and structural properties of superlattices are strongly correlated can be understood on the basis of a simple model based on the packing of hard spheres. The model is consistent with features of many models that have been proposed to explain the supermodulus effect, but contrary to previous explanations, it allows predictions for a given pair of constituents to be made. For an arbitrary pair of elements, it predicts the existence or non-existence of an elastic anomaly, and a rough estimate of its magnitude.

Many metallic superlattices are known to exhibit dramatic anomalous elastic properties as a function of modulation wavelength. All measurements to date measure either a shear modulus or a longitudinal modulus in the superlattice plane. Here we present a method which also probes longitudinal elastic behavior perpendicular to the layers using a nano-hardness tester. In this method, a diamond tip is indented into the material and both the indentation depth and applied force are constantly monitored during loading and unloading. The elastic properties are extracted from the unloading part of the force versus displacement curve. Contrary to the anomaly found in a shear modulus, no anomaly in Young's modulus was found in the present study on Mo/Ni superlattices.

The results of a Brillouin scattering study of the room temperature phases of H2;O (liquid, ice VI and ice VII) up to 30 GPa are presented. Longitudinal elastic moduli thus obtained are compared with values of the bulk modulus obtained from density measurements [1] and with both static and molecular dynamics calculations of the bulk modulus using potentials which have been proposed in studies of the liquid state. The calculations indicate that the potentials are not capable of describing the high pressure region of ice VII.

The displacive transformations in complex oxides of the type LaNb1-xVxO4 has been studied by x-ray diffraction and Raman scattering for 0 < x < 0.3. X-ray diffraction results indicate that the transformation from the tetragonal high temperature structure (C4h6) to the monoclinic low-temperature structure (C2h6) is higher than first order and that the transformation temperature Tc is depressed significantly by V substitution. Raman scattering results show that the force constant between the nearest (Nb, V)O4 tetrahedral units behave uniquely compared to others. It softens at Tc as a function of composition and it also softens as a function of temperature as Tc is approached from above.

Previously we reported a substantial (∼ 50 %) decrease in shear modulus prior to amorphization in Kr irradiated Zr3Al, and proposed that amorphization is triggered when the crystalline lattice becomes unstable against shear stress. In the present work, the relation between amorphization and shear elastic instability has been investigated in two additional compounds (FeTi and NiAl) during room temperature irradiation with 1.7-MeV Kr+. A shear modulus was measured using Brillouin scattering; structural information was obtained in situ in a high voltage electron microscope interfaced to a tandem accelerator.During irradiation of FeTi, chemical disordering and a large (∼40 %) decrease of shear modulus were observed, and an amorphous phase developed subsequently. In contrast, NiAl remained crystalline and chemically ordered during irradiation, and exhibited only a ∼ 10 % decrease in shear modulus. Hence, these two results provide further support that a shear instability triggers irradiation-induced amorphization. The shear instability mechanism may also apply to other solid-state amorphization techniques, e.g. hydrogen charging and mechanical deformation.

A calculation of the effective elastic moduli of a super-lattice, in terms of the elastic moduli of its constituents, is presented. Contrary to what has been found in many real systems, these calculations show that in the long wavelength limit the effective elastic moduli are independent of the modulation wavelength. A discussion of the experimental results on Nb/Cu, Mo/Ni and Au/Cr shows that the elastic anomalies can be understood on the basis of concomitant changes in lattice spacings.

We have measured longitudinal and shear velocities in a number of directions in a single crystal of LaNbO4 and, using these data in a computer-based nonlinear least-squares fit to the Christoffel equation, we have determined the thirteen elastic constants. From these, longitudinal and transverse velocities for various directions in the crystal have been calculated. We have shown that the elastic anomaly associated with the soft acoustic phonon generates an anisotropy in the transverse shear mode in confined regions of solid angle centered on the basal plane. The soft direction is believed to result from the complex interplay of bond-bending and bond-stretching forces in the crystal lattice.