On the correct interpretation of compression experiments of micropillars produced by a focused ion beam

Abstract

The modest goal of this short note is to shed some light on the correct interpretation of micro/nanopillar compression experiments. We propose a modification of the way the stress-strain response in such experiments is calculated, aiming at answering open questions pertaining to discrepancies between the elastic moduli values calculated through micropillar compression experiments with those of the bulk materials, as well as the brittle-to-ductile transition in bulk metallic glasses (BMGs) when the size of the pillars is reduced below a certain threshold value.