Buckling and Collapse of Embedded Carbon Nanotubes

O. Lourie; D. M. Cox; H. D. Wagner

doi:10.1103/PhysRevLett.81.1638

Buckling and Collapse of Embedded Carbon Nanotubes

O. Lourie, D. M. Cox, and H. D. Wagner

Phys. Rev. Lett. 81, 1638 – Published 24 August 1998

Abstract

Experimental observations of various deformation and fracture modes under compression of single multiwalled carbon nanotubes, obtained as a result of embedment within a polymeric film, are reported. Based on a combination of experimental measurements and the theory of elastic stability, the compressive strengths of thin- and thick-walled nanotubes are found to be about 2 orders of magnitude higher than the compressive strength of any known fiber.

Received 20 November 1997

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.81.1638

Authors & Affiliations

O. Lourie¹, D. M. Cox^1,2, and H. D. Wagner^1,*

¹Department of Materials & Interfaces, The Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 76100, Israel
²Exxon Research and Engineering, Route 22 East, Annandale, New Jersey 08801