Investigation of the Radial Deformability of Individual Carbon Nanotubes under Controlled Indentation Force

Min-Feng Yu; Tomasz Kowalewski; Rodney S. Ruoff

doi:10.1103/PhysRevLett.85.1456

Investigation of the Radial Deformability of Individual Carbon Nanotubes under Controlled Indentation Force

Min-Feng Yu, Tomasz Kowalewski, and Rodney S. Ruoff

Phys. Rev. Lett. 85, 1456 – Published 14 August 2000

Abstract

Tapping-mode atomic force microscopy was used to study the radial deformability of a multiwalled carbon nanotube (MWCNT). By imaging the MWCNT under different tapping forces, we were able to demonstrate its remarkable reversible radial deformability (up to $\sim 40 %$ ) and reveal internal discontinuities along its length. The values of the effective elastic modulus of several sections of the MWCNT in the radial direction were estimated with the Hertz model.

Received 30 March 2000

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.85.1456

Authors & Affiliations

Min-Feng Yu¹, Tomasz Kowalewski^2,*, and Rodney S. Ruoff^1,†

¹Department of Physics, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri 63130
²Department of Chemistry, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri 63130

^*Electronic address: tomek@wuchem.wustl.edu Address after 1 September 2000: Department of Chemistry, Carnegie Mellon University, Mellon Institute, 4400 Fifth Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15213-2683.(tomek@andrew.cmu.edu)
^†Electronic address: ruoff@wuphys.wustl.eduAddress after 1 September 2000: Department of Mechanical Engineering, Northwestern University, 2145 Sheraton Road, Evanston, IL 60208-3111.(r-ruoff@northwestern.edu)