Atomistic Investigation on the Blocking Phenomenon of Crack Propagation in Cu Substrate Reinforced by CNT

Recently, many researchers in the semiconductor industry have attempted to fabricate copper with carbon nanotubes for developing efficient semiconductor systems. In this work, tensile tests of a carbon-nanotube-reinforced copper specimen were conducted using the molecular statics method. The copper substrate utilized in the tensile tests had an edge half-crack, with the carbon nanotube located on the opposite side of the copper substrate. Subsequently, the effects of carbon nanotube radius were investigated. The mechanical properties of the copper/carbon nanotube composite were measured based on the simulation results, which indicated that the atomic behavior of the composite system exhibited the blocking phenomenon of crack propagation under tension. The fracture toughness of the composite system was measured using the Griffith criterion and two-specimen method, while the crack growth resistance curve of the system was obtained by varying the crack length. This study demonstrated that the mechanical reliability of copper can be improved by fabricating it with carbon nanotubes.