  We use molecular simulations to explore how sample dimensions and interfacial
properties impact some generic aspects of the mechanical and structural
behavior of nanoconfined materials. Specifically, we calculate the
strain-dependent properties of minimum-energy thin-film particle configurations
(i.e., inherent structures) confined between attractive, parallel substrates.
We examine how the relationship between the transverse strain and the stress
tensor (the equation of state of the energy landscape) depends on the
properties of the film and substrate. We find that both film thickness and
film-substrate attractions influence not only the mechanical properties of thin
films, but also the shape and location of the "weak spots" where voids
preferentially form in a film as it is strained beyond its point of maximum
tensile stress. The sensitivity of weak spots to film properties suggests that
nanoscale materials may be intrinsically vulnerabile to specific mechanisms of
mechanical failure.
