This brief report studies noncoaxial mechanical resonance of an isolated multiwall carbon nanotube. Noncoaxial resonant frequencies and the associated noncoaxial vibrational modes are calculated. For shorter or periodically supported multiwall carbon nanotubes, the lowest noncoaxial resonant frequencies predicted by the present model are comparable to their first few higher natural frequencies, which indicates that noncoaxial resonance will be excited at the higher natural frequencies. Since noncoaxial vibration will distort otherwise concentric geometry of multiwall carbon nanotubes, it could crucially affect their physical (such as electronic and optical) properties.

• Received 21 August 2002

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.66.233402