University of Pennsylvania engineers studying models of nanoscale wires have found that while metals tend to be stronger at nanoscale volumes, their strengths saturate at around 10-50 nanometers diameter, at which point they also become more sensitive to temperature and strain rate.

Nanoscale materials with relatively large surface areas are now routinely employed in microchips and nanoscience and technology, and their mechanical properties can differ greatly from their macroscale counterparts.

Typically, smaller is stronger. A gold wire 200 nanometers in diameter can be 50 times stronger per area than centimeter-sized single-crystal gold. The new research suggests an upper bound to the size-strength relationship.

University of Pennsylvania News Release