Dimensional control of brittle nanoplatelets. A statistical analysis of a thin film cracking approach.

Nanoparticles are essential building blocks for nanotechnology. In this paper we demonstrate a novel method to create nanoplatelets by thin film cracking. The thickness of the resulting platelets is determined by the film thickness, and their aspect ratio is controlled by the total strain and the elastic mismatch between substrate and thin film. Platelets can be created from any brittle film independently of microstructure and materials class. The feasibility of this method is substantiated by a statistical analysis of the fracture process.