Elastic strain of freely suspended single-wall carbon nanotube ropes

Authors
Walters, DA Ericson, LM Casavant, MJ Liu, J Colbert, DT Smith, KA Smalley, RE
Citation
Da. Walters et al., Elastic strain of freely suspended single-wall carbon nanotube ropes, APPL PHYS L, 74(25), 1999, pp. 3803-3805
Citations number
22
Categorie Soggetti
Apllied Physucs/Condensed Matter/Materiales Science
Journal title
APPLIED PHYSICS LETTERS
ISSN journal
00036951 → ACNP
Volume
74
Issue
25
Year of publication
1999
Pages
3803 - 3805
Database
ISI
SICI code
0003-6951(19990621)74:25<3803:ESOFSS>2.0.ZU;2-R
Abstract
We have induced large elastic strains in ropes of single-wall carbon nanotu bes, using an atomic force microscope in lateral force mode. Freely suspend ed ropes were observed to deform as elastic strings with tension proportion al to elongation. Ropes were elastically deformed over > 10 cycles without showing signs of plastic deformation. The maximum strain observed, 5.8 +/- 0.9%, gives a lower bound of 45 +/- 7 GPa for the tensile strength (specifi cally, yield stress) of single-wall nanotube ropes. (C) 1999 American Insti tute of Physics. [S0003-6951(99)04325-9].