A theoretical analysis of peeling behavior between nanowires and substrates in the ambient condition with high relative humidity

At micro/nano scale in the ambient condition, both capillary force and van der Waals (vdW) force dominate adhesive forces of micro- and nano-electrodevices. In this study, the peeling behavior between nanowires and substrates in the ambient condition with high relative humidity is analyzed using continuum modeling under the combined effect of capillary force and vdW force. The capillary force is obtained by solving both the Kelvin equation and the Young-Laplace equation in the thermodynamic equilibrium state, while it is derived by solving both the Young-Laplace equation and the volume equation in the thermodynamic nonequilibrium state. The vdW force is derived from the first derivative of the cohesive energy versus distance. Our analytical results from the modified Kendall model show that the peeling behavior between the nanowire and the substrate strongly depends on the peeling angle, the pre-tension, the radius, and the Young's modulus of the nanowire. In particular, both the effects of the liquid bridge position relative to the nanowire and the bending stiffness of the nanowire on the peeling force are considered by the modified Kendall model. The present solution should be of great help for understanding the structural stability of nanodevices and designing nanoelectromechanical systems.