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Understanding the deformation mechanisms underlying the mechanical behavior of materials is the key to fundamental and engineering advances in materials' performance. Herein, we focus on crystalline calcium-silicate-hydrates (C-S-H) as a model system with applications in cementitious materials, bone-tissue engineering, drug delivery and refractory materials, and use molecular dynamics simulation to investigate its loading geometry dependent mechanical properties. By comparing various conventional (e.g. shear, compression and tension) and nano-indentation loading geometries, our findings demonstrate that the former loading leads to size-independent mechanical properties while the latter results in size-dependent mechanical properties at the nanometer scales. We found three key mechanisms govern the deformation and thus mechanics of the layered C-S-H: diffusive-controlled and displacive …