Atomistic simulations of the nanometer-scale indentation of amorphous-carbon thin films

Molecular dynamics simulations are used to examine the nanometer-scale indentation of a thin film of amorphous carbon with a nonrigid $sp3$ bonded carbon tip. The simulations show in detail the atomic-scale mechanism of the indentation process and compare the bonding character of the film before and after indentation. The computationally determined elastic modulus of the amorphous-carbon film is found to be 243 GPa, in good agreement with experiment.