In Situ mechanical and electrical characterization of individual TiO ₂ nanofibers using a nanomanipulator system

Young's modulus and electrical resistivity of individual titanium dioxide (TiO ₂) nanofibers were characterized using a nanomanipulator system installed in a focused ion beam-scanning electron microscope (FIB-SEM) dual-beam Scanning Electron Microscope system. Young's modulus of individual nanofibers was deduced from the analysis of their in situ resonance behavior in response to an oscillating electric field. The electrical behavior of a single nanofiber was also analyzed by a two-point method probed by a nanomanipulator. These results will contribute to the design of devices based on single TiO ₂ nanofibers, as well as devices based on nanofiber networks. The methods presented here can also be applied to characterize other one-dimensional nanostructures. SCANNING 34: 341-346, 2012.