Open AccessAxial Stiffness of Multiwalled Carbon Nanotubes as a Function of the Number of Walls
Author(s) -
Владимир Васильевич Завальнюк
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
ukrainian journal of physics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.213
H-Index - 17
eISSN - 2071-0194
pISSN - 2071-0186
DOI - 10.15407/ujpe57.9.933
Subject(s) - stiffness , materials science , carbon nanotube , radius , van der waals force , elongation , composite material , modulus , mechanical properties of carbon nanotubes , nanotube , tube (container) , physics , ultimate tensile strength , computer security , quantum mechanics , molecule , computer science
The axial stiffness of multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) is studied as a function of the number of walls and their parameters. It is demonstrated that the axial stiffness is determined only by several external shells (usually 3–5 and up to 15 for the extremely large nanotubes and high elongations) which is in good agreement with the experimentally observed inverse relation between the radius and the Young modulus (i.e., stiffness) of MWCNTs. Such behavior isa consequence of the van der Waals intershell interaction. An interpolating formula for the MWCNT's actual axial stiffness as a function of the external radius and the elongation of a tube is obtained.