Abstract
Nanoindentation is a method for mapping the mechanical properties of heterogeneous materials. This paper aims to provide a review of this method, the challenges that still remain in spite of recent innovations and future recommendations. Various types of indenters and sample preparation methods, together with displacement-load curves ensure the correctness of operation process and correct manipulation of nanoindentation device. The novelty of this work lies in the proposed workflow in schematic way, that integrates Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM), Density Functional Theory (DFT) and Finite Element Method (FEM) into a single sequence. This approach enables the cross-validation between computational, experimental and quantum mechanical methods, providing a comprehensive characterization of material from macroscale to nanoscale. This workflow serves also as a standardized guideline, that may help to enhance reproducibility and interpretability for bone mechanical properties, thus it can be used for interdisciplinary projects and become a routine tool in material science and biomedical applications.
References
Adams, D. S., Boyce, B. L., Hooks, D. E., Garber, K. W., Klitsner, B., Price, S. A., & Blob, R. (2025). A brief introductory guide to nanoindentation for comparative and evolutionary biologists, with a case study of bone material property diversity across artiodactyl skulls. Integrative Organismal Biology, 7(1), Article obaf010. https://doi.org/10.1093/iob/obaf010
Ammar, Y. B., Bouchoucha, F., Gassara, A., Aouadi, K., & Nouveau, C. (2025). Characterizing the true stress–strain curve of CrAlN coatings by nanoindentation using finite-element reverse analysis. MATEC Web of Conferences, 414, Article 04005. https://doi.org/10.1051/matecconf/202541404005
Attaeyan, A., Shahgholi, M., & Karimipour, A. (2025). Enhancing mechanical properties of chitosan–silica aerogels with tricalcium phosphate nanoparticles: a molecular dynamics study for bone tissue engineering. Polymers, 17(6), Article 755. https://doi.org/10.3390/polym17060755
Fischer-Cripps, A. C. (2011). Nanoindentation (3rd ed.). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-9872-9
Ishimoto, T., & Nakano, T. (2010). Evaluation of mechanical properties of regenerated bone by nanoindentation technique. Materials Science Forum, 654–656, 2220–2224. https://doi.org/10.4028/www.scientific.net/MSF.654-656.2220
Jia, X., Hao, K., Luo, Z., & Fan, Z. (2022). Plastic deformation behavior of metal materials: A review of constitutive models. Metals, 12(12), Article 2077. https://doi.org/10.3390/met12122077
Karimzadeh, A., Koloor, S. S. R., Ayatollahi, M. R., Bushroa, A. R., & Yahya, M. Y. (2019). Assessment of nano-indentation method in mechanical characterization of heterogeneous nanocomposite materials using experimental and computational approaches. Scientific Reports, 9, Article 15763. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-51904-4
Lin, M. C., Sihota, P., Kolibová, S. D., Fiedler, I. A. K., Krug, J., Wölfel, E. M., Moritz, M., Riedner, M., Ondruschka, B., Citak, M., Klebig, F., von Brackel, F., Qwamizadeh, M., Jähn-Rickert, K., & Busse, B. (2025). Fracture characteristics of human cortical bone influenced by the duration of in vitro glycation. JBMR Plus, 9(2), Article ziae151. https://doi.org/10.1093/jbmrpl/ziae151
Lodoso-Torrecilla, I., Konka, J., Kreuzer, M., Jimenez-Pique, E., Espanol, M., & Ginebra, M. P. (2024). Quality assessment of regenerated bone in intraosseous and intramuscular scaffolds by spectroscopy and nanoindentation. Biomaterials Advances, 164, Article 213982. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bioadv.2024.213982
Long, X., Dong, R., Su, Y., & Chang, C. (2023). Critical review of nanoindentation-based numerical methods for evaluating elastoplastic material properties. Coatings, 13(8), Article 1334. https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings13081334
Luu, H. T., Dang, S. L., Hoang, T. V., & Gunkelmann, N. (2021). Molecular dynamics simulation of nanoindentation in Al and Fe: On the influence of system characteristics. Applied Surface Science, 551, Article 149221. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apsusc.2021.149221
Mozafari, A., Fu, B., Chalapathi, D., & Abdolvand, H. (2025). Characterization of IN738LC using in situ nanoindentation and crystal plasticity modeling. Materials & Design, 257, Article 114378. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matdes.2025.114378
Munz, D., & Fett, T. (1999). Ceramics: Mechanical properties, failure behaviour, materials selection (1st ed.). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-58407-7
Pradhan, S. M., Katti, D. R., & Katti, K. S. (2011). Steered molecular dynamics study of mechanical response of full length and short collagen molecules. Journal of Nanomechanics and Micromechanics, 1(3), 104–110. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)NM.2153-5477.0000035
Rasheed, S., Lughmani, W. A., Khan, M. M., Brabazon, D., Obeidi, M. A., & Ahad, I. U. (2023). The porosity design and deformation behavior analysis of additively manufactured bone scaffolds through finite element modelling and mechanical property investigations. Journal of Functional Biomaterials, 14(10), Article 496. https://doi.org/10.3390/jfb14100496
Rossi, E., Wheeler, J. M., & Sebastiani, M. (2023). High-speed nanoindentation mapping: A review of recent advances and applications. Current Opinion in Solid State and Materials Science, 27, Article 101107. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cossms.2023.101107
Sleem, K., Grima, G., & Cabibbo, M. (2025). A nanoindentation approach to investigating dislocation density in additive-manufactured SS316L-graded lattice structures. Journal of Manufacturing and Materials Processing, 9(2), Article 59. https://doi.org/10.3390/jmmp9020059
Ward, I. M., & Sweeney, J. (2012). Mechanical properties of solid polymers (3rd ed.). John Wiley & Sons Ltd. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781119967125

