Molecular Dynamics Study of Superelastic Performance of a β-Si3N4 Nanohelical Coil

Superealsticity behavior has been discovered for the β-Si3N4 nanohelical coil. By a series of cyclic loading and unloading simulation tests, the nanohelical coil could elastically recover its original shape after a relatively long axial tension far beyond the elastic limit, accompanying little residual plastic deformation. The spring constant is first a steady-state value of 0.72 N m–1 in the linear stage and then increases dramatically for up to 1.5 N m–1 in the nonlinear region. The fascinating performance of the nanocoil makes it stand out from its bulk counterparts in the development of future electronic devices such as nanoscale elastic energy storage.