One-dimensional nanostructured materials are often used as beams in many applications such as ultrahigh-frequency resonators and ultrasensitive sensors. Compared with usual macroscopic beams, nanobeams have much higher surface/volume ratios so that their surface energies may play a significant role. Besides, they often bear large deflections due to their typically large slenderness ratios and larger elastic ranges. There is, however, lack of a theory that takes into account of both the above two features owned by nanobeams. In this paper, we present such a theory and give applied examples to show that surface energy and large deflection may individually or jointly have notable effects.
Dujuan Zeng Quanshui Zheng 1(Department of Engineering Mechanics,Tsinghua University,Beijing 100084,China)
We use molecular dynamics (MD) simulations to study the effects of vacancies on tube diameters and interwall spacings of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs). Two types of vacancies, double vacancy and three dangling-bond (3DB) single vacancy, are identified to have opposite effects on the tube size change, which explains the inconsistency of the experimentally measured interwall spacings of MWCNTs after electron beam irradiation. A theoretical model to quantitatively predict the shrunk structures of the irradiated MWCNTs is further developed. We also discuss the fabrications of prestressed MWCNTs, in which reduced interwall spacings are desired to enhance the overall elastic modulus and strength.
