In situ small-scale mechanical testing under extreme environments

The high precision offered by small-scale mechanical testing has allowed the relationships between mechanical behavior and specific microstructural features to be determined to an unprecedented degree. However, of most interest to scientists and engineers is often the behavior of materials under service conditions in an extreme environment, such as high/low temperatures, high strain rates, hydrogen atmosphere, or radiation. In this article, we detail progress made to adapt nanomechanical testing systems and techniques to observe materials behavior in situ in extreme environments.