Peeling of Long, Straight Carbon Nanotubes from Surfaces

Abstract

The adhesion of long, straight, single-walled carbon nanotubes to surfaces is examined using multidimensional force spectroscopy. We observed characteristic signatures in the deflection and frequency response of the cantilever indicative of nanotube buckling and slip-stick motion as a result of compression and subsequent adhesion and peeling of the nanotube from the surface. The spring constant and the elastic modulus of the SWNT were estimated from the frequency shifts under tension. Using elastica modeling for postbuckled columns, we have determined the static coefficient of friction for the SWNT on alkanethiol-modified gold surfaces and showed that it varies with the identity of the monolayer terminal group.

Empirical Correlation of the Morphology of Coiled Carbon Nanotubes with Their Response to Axial Compression

“…The objectives of the work presented herein were to determine the stiffness of CCNTs to axial compression and to correlate this stiffness with their composition/structure. Our approach involves attaching an individual nanotube to the tip of an atomic force microscope (AFM) probe and then using this instrument to apply a controlled mechanical load to the nanocoil [22][23][24]. Mechanical loading of straight or coiled nanotubes results in compression, buckling, and sliding on the substrate surface [9,22,23,[25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32].…”