Abstract
We report an experimental and a theoretical study of the radial elasticity of multiwalled carbon nanotubes as a function of external radius. We use atomic force microscopy and apply small indentation amplitudes in order to stay in the linear elasticity regime. The number of layers for a given tube radius is inferred from transmission electron microscopy, revealing constant ratios of external to internal radii. This enables a comparison with molecular dynamics results, which also shed some light onto the applicability of Hertz theory in this context. Using this theory, we find a radial Young modulus strongly decreasing with increasing radius and reaching an asymptotic value of 30±10GPa.
Original language | English (US) |
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Article number | 175502 |
Journal | Physical Review Letters |
Volume | 94 |
Issue number | 17 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - May 6 2005 |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Physics and Astronomy(all)