Research published at McGill University in Montreal details the interesting application of shockwaves with nano silver structures. Authored by Li Zhang and published in 2007, this 84 page thesis is available here.
Beginning with a silver powder, compaction’s effect on the silver was studied in several ways, including transmission electron microscope, atomic force microscopy, and x-ray diffraction. The result of the shockwave compaction was the creation of a nano-structured silver. With a focus on strength, brittleness, and hardness of the resulting structure, implications for materials research are of interest to those with an interested in silver’s solid phase.
