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Tailoring the Load Carrying Capacity of MWCNTs Through Inter-shell Atomic Bridging

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Abstract

Recent studies have finally produced accurate measurements of the mechanical properties of carbon nanotubes, confirming the anticipated results computed from quantum and molecular mechanics. Several studies have also predicted an enhancement of these material properties as a result of electron irradiation. Here we prove conclusively through a rigorous TEM imaging study that this enhancement occurs as a result of multiple-shell load transfer through irradiation-induced crosslinks. Using a computational model of the system which mirrors the experimental setup, we show that intershell covalent crosslinks resulting from the irradiation are efficient atomic structures for inter-shell load transfer. A study of the correlation between number of defects and load transfer provides insight into the experimental results and quantifies the increase in load transfer with radiation dose. The combined experimental/computational approach therefore gives a complete understanding of the phenomenon and provides the means for tailoring the mechanical properties of 1-D nanostructures.

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Notes

  1. CNTs used for this experiment had to be long enough to span the gap between the MEMS device testing shuttles, and had to be free of kinks, curves, branches, and other anomalies.

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Acknowledgements

HDE gratefully acknowledges the financial support for this work provided by the NSF through award CMMI 0555734, the US Army Research Office under grant W911NF-08-1-0061, and the ONR through awards N000140710905 and N000140810108. TB gratefully acknowledges the support of the US Army Research Office under grant W911NF-08-1-0212. The authors would also like to thank George Schatz and Steven Mielke for helpful discussions.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Mechanical Engineering, Northwestern University, 2145 Sheridan Rd., Evanston, IL, 60208-3111, USA

    M. Locascio, B. Peng, Y. Zhu, S. Li, T. Belytschko & H. D. Espinosa (SEM member)

  2. Materials Science Division, Argonne National Laboratory, 9700 South Cass Ave., Argonne, IL, 60439, USA

    P. Zapol

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  1. M. Locascio
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  2. B. Peng
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  4. Y. Zhu
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  5. S. Li
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  6. T. Belytschko
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  7. H. D. Espinosa
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Correspondence to H. D. Espinosa.

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Locascio and Peng contributed equally to the work.

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Locascio, M., Peng, B., Zapol, P. et al. Tailoring the Load Carrying Capacity of MWCNTs Through Inter-shell Atomic Bridging. Exp Mech 49, 169–182 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11340-008-9216-3

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