Interactions in concentric carbon nanotubes: the radius vs the chirality angle contributions

In multiwall carbon nanotubes in general, and in double wall carbon nanotubes, DWCNTs, in particular, the guest-host interactions depend primarily on the difference of the nanotubes radii, Deltar. The chirality angle mismatch of the two tubes, Deltatheta, also matters since it determines the pattern of pi-stacking interactions that ultimately is responsible for the shift of graphite layers into the so-called A-B structure. Here we calculate the minimum energy structures of 198 DWCNTs and construct two functions of Deltar and Deltatheta that fit the calculated data. Cross terms exists between Deltar and Deltatheta. The shape of the functions is rationalized in simple physical terms and can be used to construct minimum energy multiwall nanotubes.     

Investigation of the effects of commensurability on friction between concentric carbon nanotubes

That a commensurate contact usually leads to greater friction than an incommensurate one is a commonly held view in nanotribology. However, this perception seems paradoxical as commensurability is found to have negligible effect on the energy dissipation in double-walled carbon nanotube (DWNT) based oscillators. Using molecular dynamics simulations, we investigate such a paradox from the viewpoint of the atomic origin of friction. It is revealed that the commensurability cannot have a pronounced effect on friction unless the intertube interaction strength and the energy corrugation exceed their critical values. Both the commensurate and incommensurate oscillators constructed from natural DWNTs with an intertube distance of about 3.4 ?, may thus exhibit similar performance.     

Interfacial energy between carbon nanotubes and polymers measured from nanoscale peel tests in the atomic force microscope

The future development of polymer composite materials with nanotubes or nanoscale fibers requires the ability to understand and improve the interfacial bonding at the nanotube–polymer matrix interface. In recent work [Strus MC, Zalamea L, Raman A, Pipes RB, Nguyen CV, Stach EA. Peeling force spectroscopy: exposing the adhesive nanomechanics of one-dimensional nanostructures. Nano Lett 2008;8(2):544–50], it has been shown that a new mode in the Atomic Force Microscope (AFM), peeling force spectroscopy, can be used to understand the adhesive mechanics of carbon nanotubes peeled from a surface. In the present work, we demonstrate how AFM peeling force spectroscopy can be used to distinguish between elastic and interfacial components during a nanoscale peel test, thus enabling the direct measurement of interfacial energy between an individual nanotube or nanofiber and a given material surface. The proposed method provides a convenient experimental framework to quickly screen different combinations of polymers and functionalized nanotubes for optimal interfacial strength.     

On the buckling properties of concentric carbon/boron-nitride multi-walled nanotubes: A finite element investigation

Finite element modeling approach is used here to investigate the behavior of concentric multi-walled boron-nitride and carbon nanotubes under the compressive loadings. Double-walled and triple-walled concentric boron-nitride and carbon nanotubes with different arrangements and geometries are considered. It is shown that multi-walled boron-nitride nanotubes lose their stabilities at larger compressive forces than other arrangements in which at least one carbon wall exists. Comparing the armchair and zig-zag multi-walled nanotubes, the latter one has larger buckling force than the former one. It is also shown that the nanotubes with smaller radii have larger critical compressive forces than those with larger radii.     

Interaction diagrams for carbon nanotubes under combined shortening-twisting

A theoretical investigation on the strength and stiffness of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) under combined shortening and twisting strains is presented. CNTs with similar length-to-diameter aspect ratios, L/D, but different atomic structures (zig-zag, armchair and chiral) have been selected. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations have been performed to study the critical buckling behaviour and the pre-critical and post-critical stiffness of CNTs under combined shortening-twisting conditions. The main results are presented in the form of interaction diagrams between the critical strain and the critical angle of twist per unit of length. An interaction equation is proposed and validated by comparison with the MD results. If shortening is more dominant than twisting, the strain energy at the onset of buckling drops considerably with the increase of the twisting-shortening rate. If twisting is more influential than shortening, the energy at the onset of buckling decreases very slowly with the twisting-shortening rate. We also found an interaction factor of 1.5 for CNTs under combined shortening-twisting, which is much lower than the value 2.0 commonly adopted for circular tubes at macro-scale. We conclude that CNTs are much more sensitive to buckling under shortening-twisting interaction than macro-scale tubes.     

Interaction of molecular and atomic hydrogen with single-wall carbon nanotubes

Density functional calculations are performed to study the interaction of molecular and atomic hydrogen with (5,5) and (6,6) single-wall carbon nanotubes. Molecular physisorption is predicted to be the most stable adsorption state, with the molecule at equilibrium at a distance of 5-6 a.u. from the nanotube wall. The physisorption energies outside the nanotubes are approximately 0.07 eV, and larger inside, reaching a value of 0.17 eV inside the (5,5) nanotube. Although these binding energies appear to be lower than the values required for an efficient adsorption/desorption operation at room temperature and normal pressures, the expectations are better for operation at lower temperatures and higher pressures, as found in many experimental studies. A chemisorption state with the molecule dissociated has also been found, with the H atoms much closer to the nanotube wall. However, this state is separated from the physisorption state by an activation barrier of 2 eV or more. The dissociative chemisorption weakens carbon-carbon bonds, and the concerted effect of many incoming molecules with sufficient kinetic energies can lead to the scission of the nanotube.     

Competition between the spring force constant and the phonon energy renormalization in electrochemically doped semiconducting single-walled carbon nanotubes

A detailed analysis of the in situ Raman spectroelectrochemical behavior of individual semiconducting single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) is presented. Special attention has been paid to the development of the tangential (TG) mode frequency, which shifts when the externally applied potential Ve is shifted away from Ve=0. The magnitude and direction (upshift or downshift) of the tangential mode band has been found to be dependent on the diameter of the semiconducting tubes. For negative charging, the small-diameter tubes exhibit a downshift while the large-diameter tubes exhibit an upshift. This behavior is explained by a competition between two effects which cause opposite shifts in the TG mode frequency during negative charging: a phonon renormalization effect and a C-C bond weakening during the charging process. Positive charging always causes an upshift of the TG mode frequency. However, the magnitude of the upshift is dependent on the tube diameter.     

Single-electron force readout of nanoparticle electrometers attached to carbon nanotubes

We introduce a new technique of probing the local potential inside a nanostructure employing Au nanoparticles as electrometers and using single-electron force microscopy to sense the charge states of the Au electrometers, which are sensitive to local potential variations. The Au nanoelectrometers are weakly coupled to a carbon nanotube through high-impedance molecular junctions. We demonstrate the operation of the Au nanoelectrometer, determine the impedance of the molecular junctions, and measure the local potential profile in a looped nanotube.     

Identifying individual single-walled and double-walled carbon nanotubes by atomic force microscopy

We show that the number of concentric graphene cylinders forming a carbon nanotube can be found by squeezing the tube between an atomic force microscope tip and a silicon substrate. The compressed height of a single-walled nanotube (double-walled nanotube) is approximately two (four) times the interlayer spacing of graphite. Measured compression forces are consistent with the predicted bending modulus of graphene and provide a mechanical signature for identifying individual single-walled and double-walled nanotubes.     

Performance of carbon arc-discharge nanotubes to hydrogen energy storage

Adsorption properties of gram-scale samples of different kind of arc discharge nanotubes were studied, namely: (A) raw collaret collected on the cathode, (B) raw soots collected on the lateral reactor wall, (C) thermally treated soot, and (D) thermally then chemically treated soot. The morphology, structure, and composition of these materials were characterized by SEM, TEM, TGA, and BET. In addition, hydrogen adsorption isotherms were recorded experimentally for A, B, and D samples over the pressure range of 0 to 55 bar at ambient temperature. Our experiments indicated a maximum-yet weak-hydrogen storage at room temperature of approximately 0.13 H2 wt% for the purified product (D).     

Exciton energy transfer in pairs of single-walled carbon nanotubes

We studied the exciton energy transfer in pairs of semiconducting nanotubes using high-resolution optical microscopy and spectroscopy on the nanoscale. Photoluminescence from large band gap nanotubes within bundles is observed with spatially varying intensities due to distance-dependent internanotube transfer. The range of efficient energy transfer is found to be limited to a few nanometers because of competing fast nonradiative relaxation responsible for low photoluminescence quantum yield.     

Stability of single-walled carbon nanotubes and single-walled carbon nanocones under self-weight and an axial tip force

Poorly designed structures buckle under the action of an unbearable axial force, self-weight or a combination of different axial forces. The increasing exploration of nanostructures for future devices dictates that the buckling of uniform single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) and single-walled carbon nanocones (SWCNCs) should be well studied. Therefore in this paper, the investigation of the boundary value problems associated with the buckling of the SWCNTs and SWCNCs is carried out. The theoretical formulation of the mathematical model for these nanostructures is premised on the newly advanced nonlocal continuum theory. Predictions of the nN range critical loads of SWCNT and SWCNT under self-weight and an axial tip force are carried out with an optimized variant of the Galerkin method. The analysis reveals the degree of influence of the nonlocal parameter on the critical loads of the SWCNTs and the SWCNCs under different boundary conditions. A non-monotonically increasing trend is observed between the critical load values and increasing aspect ratio of the SWCNT. In the case of the SWCNC, the analysis reveals a positive linear relationship between the critical loads and the apex angles of the SWCNC. The apex angle also acts as a counterbalance to the small-scale coefficient.     

Local electronic structure of single-walled carbon nanotubes from electrostatic force microscopy

An atomic force microscope was used to locally perturb and detect the charge density in carbon nanotubes. Changing the tip voltage varied the Fermi level in the nanotube. The local charge density increased abruptly whenever the Fermi level was swept through a van Hove singularity in the density of states, thereby coupling the cantilever's mechanical oscillations to the nanotube's local electronic properties. By using our technique to measure the local band gap of an intratube quantum-well structure, created by a nonuniform uniaxial strain, we have estimated the nanotube chiral angle. Our technique does not require attached electrodes or a specialized substrate, yielding a unique high-resolution spectroscopic tool that facilitates the comparison between local electronic structure of nanomaterials and further transport, optical, or sensing experiments.     

Fabrication of discrete nanoscaled force sensors based on single-walled carbon nanotubes

We present a fabrication technique for discrete, released carbon-nanotube-based nanomechanical force sensors. The fabrication technique uses prepatterned coordinate markers to align the device design to predeposited single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs): Atomic force microscope (AFM) images are recorded to determine spatial orientation and location of each discrete nanotube to be integrated in a nanoscaled force sensor. Electron beam lithography is subsequently used to pattern the metallic electrodes for the nanoscale structures. Diluted hydrofluoric acid etching followed by critical point drying completes the nanosized device fabrication. We use discrete, highly purified, and chemically stable carbon nanotubes as active elements. We show AFM and scanning electron microscope images of the successfully realized SWNTs embedded nanoelectromechanical systems (NEMS). Finally, we present electromechanical measurements of the suspended SWNT NEMS structures.     

Interaction study on DNA,single-wall carbon nanotubes and acridine orange

The fluorescence of acridine orange (AO) can be quenched significantly with addition of the single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) solution, due to the formation of a hybrid complex between AO and SWCNTs. A fluorescence enhancement of approximately 18× can be observed after the addition of certain amount of DNA into the above mentioned solution. The fluorescence increase was linearly proportional to the amount of DNA added in the concentration range of 0–50.75 μM, and the DNA detection limit was down to 8.56 × 10⁻⁸ M. This method can be used to detect DNA in vitro.     

Continuous and discrete energy distributions of electrons field-emitted from carbon nanotubes

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) deposited by means of electrophoresis onto a tungsten foil have been studied using field electron microscope and a dispersive electron energy analyzer. The field-emitted electron energy distributions (FEEDs) were either normal (smooth) or exhibited a system of narrow peaks spaced by 30 and 55 meV, which were retained after thermal and field-induced reconstruction of the CTN vertex. The observed features of the FEEDs are consistent with a quantum-dimensional model of field electron emission from CNTs.     

Diameter-dependent dissipation of vibration energy of cantilevered multiwall carbon nanotubes

This study investigated the mechanical properties of vibrating cantilevered multiwall carbon nanotubes in terms of energy loss in a vibrating nanotube. Young's moduli of the nanotubes show a clear dependence of the perfection of the sp(2) carbon network, as determined from Raman spectroscopy. The energy loss corresponding to the inverse of the quality factor increases with increasing tube diameter, although the nanotube maintains high mechanical strength around 0.5 TPa. This fact implies that the vibration energy is dissipated mainly not by defects, but by van der Waals interactions between walls.     

Measurement of the adhesion force between carbon nanotubes and a silicon dioxide substrate

Carbon nanotube adhesion force measurements were performed on single-walled nanotubes grown over lithographically defined trenches. An applied vertical force from an atomic force microscope (AFM), in force distance mode, caused the tubes to slip across the 250-nm-wide silicon dioxide trench tops at an axial tension of 8 nN. The nanotubes slipped at an axial tension of 10 nN after being selectively coated with a silicon dioxide layer.