The mechanical strength of submicron porous silver foils

The tensile behavior of free-standing silver membranes with constituent micro-to-nanoscale porosity is measured as a function of strain rate to better understand operative deformation mechanisms across multiple length scales of structure. Composite structural features that can contribute to the rate-dependent strength behavior include the porosity, filament (or strut) size, and the constituent grain size. The strain-rate sensitivity of the porous silver specimens is found to increase with a functional decrease in the filament length scale and increase in porosity. This trend is similar to experimental results reported for bulk nanocrystalline metals.