Modeling the Compressive Behavior of Anisotropic, Nanometer-Scale Structured Silica

Recently, large plastic deformations were observed during compression testing of biotemplated, anisotropic, and hierarchically structured silica monoliths. Based on the material's nanometer-scale structuring, a dynamic model is devised in which parallel silica struts are compressed, and sheared in longitudinal direction. The resulting interfacial shear forces lead to successive plastic deformations during cyclic loading with incrementally increasing forces, matching observations by mechanical testing. The authors report on the physical parameter values obtained from fitting model curves to measured ones, their relation to prior structural observations, and their utility to tailor the intricate mechanical behavior of this novel material.