High throughput mechanical property testing of materials libraries using a piezoelectric

A method for screening an array of materials for mechanical properties, comprising:

• providing a supporting member containing a plurality of piezoelectric elements each having an electrode;
• directing a force from said piezoelectric elements by applying a voltage selected from a group consisting of oscillatory, non-oscillatory, and a combination thereof to each of said piezoelectric elements;
• monitoring a response of each of said piezoelectric elements to said force with at least one response sensing device selected from a group consisting of an optical response sensing device selected from a group consisting of optical reflectance, optical interferometry, shadow illumination, and a combination thereof;
• a piezoelectric sensing device comprising of said electrode and a sensor region, and a combination thereof;
• securing a library of at least four different material samples onto said piezoelectric elements by means selected from a group consisting of mechanically, magnetically, electromagnetically, electromechanically, chemically, and a combination thereof, wherein each of said samples corresponds with one of said piezoelectric elements, is selected from a group consisting of solids, semi-solids, high viscosity fluids, and a combination thereof, has an area of less than about 50 mm2 and a thickness of less than about 500 microns;
• directing a force from said piezoelectric elements to said samples by applying said voltage to each of said piezoelectric elements;
• and
• monitoring a response of each of said samples to said force with said at least one response sensing device, wherein said mechanical properties being screened are selected from a group consisting of flexure, uniaxial extension, biaxial compression, shear, stress and strain at failure, toughness, Young's modulus, complex modulus, and a combination thereof.