Brittle ductile transition in carbon nanotube bundles

Abstract

The superior strength and stiffness of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) make them attractive for many structural applications. Although the strength and stiffness of CNTs are extremely high, fibres of aligned CNTs have been found to date to be far weaker than the constituent CNTs. The intermolecular interactions between the CNTs in the fibres are governed by weak van der Waals forces, resulting in slippage between CNTs which occurs at tensions well below the breaking strength of the CNTs. Both theoretical and experimental studies show that by introducing chemical bonds between the CNTs increases load transfer and prevents the CNTs from slipping.

Keywords:

• carbon nanotubes
• molecular simulation
• mechanical properties
• nanofibres
• load transfer

Acknowledgements

The authors gratefully acknowledge funding support from the US Army Engineer Research and Development Center research program ‘Nanoscale Studies of Polycrystalline Materials with Emphasis on Ceramic Synthesis’ and the HPC Challenge Project ‘Molecular Dynamics Simulations to Underpin the Design and Development of High-Performance Carbon-Nanotube-Based Filaments, Membranes, and Coatings’ and allocation of computer time from the Department of Defense High Performance Computing Modernization Program. Permission was granted by the Chief of Engineers to publish this information.

Notes

1. Email: [email protected]

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Charles R. Welch

1