LIP-LIP INTERACTIONS AND THE GROWTH OF MULTIWALLED CARBON NANOTUBES

Using a realistic many-body potential, we have simulated the propertie s of double-walled carbon nanotubes with the aim of investigating the role of lip-lip interactions on nanotube growth. Surprisingly, the lip -lip interaction by itself does not stabilize open-ended growth, but r ather facilitates tube closure by mediating the transfer of atoms betw een inner outer shells. A simulation of growth on a wide double-wall n anotube leads to considerable deviations from the ideal structure, in contrast to corresponding simulations for single-wall tubes, which res ult in nearly perfect structures.