Micro- and Nano-Mechanics as a Tool for Materials Design

Tailoring the mechanical performance and reliability of materials requires to understand the interplay of deformation mechanisms and microstructure across all length scales. The recent advances in small-scale mechanical testing complemented by in-situ microscopy and diffraction techniques, microstructure characterization methods ranging from atomistic insights to 3-dimensional tomography as well as simulation methods bridging the scales from atomistic to continuum provide access to all relevant length scales for designing and optimizing materials and material systems. The 2018 Gordon Conference on "Thin Film and Small Scale Mechanical Behavior" will be the platform to discuss progress and limitations of experimental and computational nano- and micromechanical methods, current understanding of deformation, fatigue and fracture mechanisms with a focus on small length scales, and to exchange ideas on interlinking different approaches to enhance the mechanical properties of thin films, coatings and bulk materials. Newest developments in testing methods, lab on chip concepts, exposure to environmental conditions as well as modeling approaches will be a central part of the meeting.