The remarkable functional properties of spider silk make it a highly interesting material for a wide range of applications, including high-performance fabrics and regenerative medicine.

With increased pressure on the electronics sector to deliver greener technology with uncompromised performance, materials research and development has stepped up to the fore.

The understanding of microscopic and thermo-mechanical properties is at the core of materials science research. Here we look at how mechanical characterisation can be used to observe and image materials at the microscale.

Researchers at the National Chemical Laboratory, India, explain how Linkam’s TST350 (now MFS) can be used to calculate the essential work of fracture for polymeric materials.

Researchers in Lausanne use Linkam’s mechanical testing system to study the effect of temperature on the adhesion of transparent thin film electrodes on polymers.

Researchers use the Linkam MFS to image and measure the tensile properties of nanocomposite samples synthesised by coagulation spinning using carbon nanotubes.

Linkam’s mechanical testing stage was used to study the tensile properties of ITO-free flexible electrodes, used for optoelectronic devices, revealing their mechanical integrity under bending and stretching conditions.

Using one of Linkam’s mechanical testing stages, researchers at Imperial College London look at tenile properties of carbon nanotube reinforced composite fibres.