Deformation behavior of nanoporous polycrystalline silver. Part I: Microstructure and mechanical properties

This work reports on the microstructure and mechanical properties of porous silver films produced with different sintering parameters. The microstructure is investigated by high-resolution ptychographic Xray computed tomography and scanning electron microscopy. The mechanical properties are obtained from constant strain rate tensile tests. It is found that for this class of samples both grain size and ligament diameter have little effect on the magnitude of the yield stress. Instead, a clear correlation is found between strength and porosity. (C) 2017 Acta Materialia Inc. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.