An adhesion study in Ni and Cu nanocontacts from a molecular dynamics perspective

In this work, the effects of adhesion in nanoscale indentation tests with copper and nickel samples indented with a spherical diamond tip have been studied. The tests have been simulated by molecular dynamics, initially selecting the appropriate potentials according to the pair of materials put in contact. The force-displacement curves of a complete cycle of loading and unloading have been determined and a procedure for the simultaneously determination of the indentation modulus of elasticity and the adhesion energy of inelastic indentations have been developed. Likewise, a critical evaluation of the contact models available in the literature has been carried out, assessing their suitability for the cases analysed.