The proliferation of novel materials and devices possessing small sizes and low dimensions has been pushing the limits of traditional testing and measurement tools for mechanical characterization. Further, the desire for better understanding of new phenomena associated with the reduced dimensions of materials, and for better control of new material synthesis, exposes practical needs and calls for new testing methods, advanced technologies and instruments.

Nanoindentation is a promising yet challenging technology for measuring nanomechanical properties of materials. While quasi-static nanoindentation, the core technique of nanoindentation, has been broadly accepted as a method for determination of nanohardness and elastic modulus of materials, dynamic mechanical analysis of visco-elastic materials at nanoscale has seen steadily increasing interest. Recently, nanotensile testing opens another door to the nanomechanical characterization world. Nanotensile not only maintains the most important character of conventional tensile tests, e. g. testing materials under uniform stress and strain fields, but also offers unprecedented features and capabilities such as nanometer and nanoNewton displacement and load resolutions, automated specimen alignment and three-dimensional sensing.

In this presentation, an overview of available nanomechanical characterization methods of polymer materials will be provided. Emphasis will be given to the current status and to the challenges in characterization of polymer composites, fibers, thin films and coatings. Typical applications will be used to highlight the significance of the testing methods and their limitations.