Geometric nonlinearity and mechanical anisotropy in strained helical nanoribbons

Fabrication and synthesis of helical nanoribbons have received increasing attention because of the broad applications of helical nanostructures in nano-elecromechanical/micro-electromechanical systems (NEMS/MEMS), sensors, active materials, drug delivery, etc. In this paper, I study the mechanical principles used in designing strained helical nanoribbons, and propose the use of a full three-dimensional finite element method to simulate the coexistence of both left- and right-handed segments in the same strained nanoribbon. This work can both help understand the large deformation behaviours of such nanostructures and assist in the design of helical nanostructures for engineering applications.