Search results for "Carbon nanotube actuators"
showing 10 items of 10 documents
Electrical conductance of carbon nanotubes with misaligned ends
2013
During a manufacturing process, when a straight carbon nanotube is placed on a substrate, e.g., production of transistors, its two ends are often misaligned. In this study, we investigate the effects of multiwall carbon nanotubes’ (MWCNTs) outer diameter and chirality on the change in conductance due to misalignment of the two ends. The length of the studied MWCNTs was 120 nm, while the diameters ranged between 4 and 7 nm. A mixed finite element-tight-binding approach was carefully designed to realize reduction in computational time by orders of magnitude in calculating the deformation-induced changes in the electrical transport properties of the nanotubes. Numerical results suggest that ar…
Parameters influencing the stiffness of composites reinforced by carbon nanotubes – A numerical–analytical approach
2014
Abstract Due to their high stiffness and strength, as well as their electrical conductivity, carbon nanotubes are under intense investigation as fillers in polymer matrix composites. The nature of the carbon nanotube/polymer bonding and the curvature of the carbon nanotubes may strongly reduce the reinforcing effect of the carbon nanotubes when added to a matrix to create composites. Here the effects of carbon nanotube waviness and the interaction with the matrix on the stiffness of the composite are investigated. Using a mixed numerical–analytical model, a parametric study of the waviness and volume fraction influence of CNTs on the elastic behavior of the nanocomposite is presented. The m…
Controlling electrical percolation in multicomponent carbon nanotube dispersions
2011
Carbon nanotube reinforced polymeric composites can have favourable electrical properties, which make them useful for applications such as flat-panel displays and photovoltaic devices. However, using aqueous dispersions to fabricate composites with specific physical properties requires that the processing of the nanotube dispersion be understood and controlled while in the liquid phase. Here, using a combination of experiment and theory, we study the electrical percolation of carbon nanotubes introduced into a polymer matrix, and show that the percolation threshold can be substantially lowered by adding small quantities of a conductive polymer latex. Mixing colloidal particles of different …
Multiwalled carbon nanotube reinforced polymer composites
2008
Due to their high stiffness and strength, as well as their electrical conductivity, carbon nanotubes are under intense investigation as fillers in polymer matrix composites. The nature of the carbon nanotube/polymer bonding and the curvature of the carbon nanotubes within the polymer have arisen as particular factors in the efficacy of the carbon nanotubes to actually provide any enhanced stiffness or strength to the composite. Here the effects of carbon nanotube curvature and interface interaction with the matrix on the composite stiffness are investigated using micromechanical analysis. In particular, the effects of poor bonding and thus poor shear lag load transfer to the carbon nanotube…
Filling carbon nanotubes with magnetic particles
2013
Magnetic carbon nanotube composites were obtained by filling carbon nanotubes with paramagnetic iron oxide particles. Measurements indicate that these functionalized nanotubes are superparamagnetic at room temperature. Details about the production and characterization of these materials are described along with the experimental procedures employed. These magnetic carbon nanotubes have the potential to be used in a wide range of applications, in particular, the production of nanofluids, which can be controlled by appropriate magnetic fields.
Effects of Bending on Raman-active Vibration Modes of Carbon Nanotubes
2008
We investigate vibration modes and their Raman activity of single-walled carbon nanotubes that are bent within their intrinsic elastic limits. By implementing novel boundary conditions for density-functional based tight-binding, and using non-resonant bond polarization theory, we discover that Raman activity can be induced by bending. Depending on the degree of bending, high-energy Raman peaks change their positions and intensities significantly. These effects can be explained by migration of nodes and antinodes along tube circumference. We discuss the challenge of associating the predicted spectral changes with experimental observations.
Numerical model for composite material with polymer matrix reinforced by carbon nanotubes
2008
Due to the high stiffness and strength, as well as their ability to act as conductors, carbon nanotubes are under intense investigation as fillers in polymeric materials. The nature of the carbon nanotube/polymer bonding and the curvature of the carbon nanotubes within the polymer have arisen as particular factors in the efficacy of the carbon nanotubes to actually provide any enhanced stiffness or strength to the nanocomposite. Here the effects of carbon nanotube curvature and interface interaction with the matrix on the nanocomposite stiffness are investigated using nanomechanical analysis. In particular, the effects of poor bonding and thus poor shear lag load transfer to the carbon nano…
Electrical Conduction in Carbon Nanotubes under Mechanical Deformations
2009
The enormous potential of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) as primary components in electronic devices and NEMS necessitates the understanding and predicting of the effects of mechanical deformation on electron transport in CNTs. In principle, detailed atomic/electronic calculations can provide both the deformed configuration and the resulting electrical transport behavior of the CNT. However, the computational expense of these simulations limits the size of the CNTs that can be studied with this technique and a direct analysis of CNTs of the dimension used in nano-electronic devices, particularly multi-wall CNTs (MWNTs), seems prohibitive at the present. Here a computationally effective mixed finit…
Electromechanical Behavior of Single and Multiwall Carbon Nanotubes
2008
Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) can be metallic or semiconductors depending simply on geometric characteristics. This peculiar electronic behavior, combined with high mechanical strength, make them potential building blocks of a new nano-electronic technology. High resolution images of CNTs often disclose structural deformations such as bent, twisted, or collapsed tubes. These deformations break the tube symmetry, and a change in their electronic properties should result. A computationally effective mixed finite element-tight-binding approach able to simulate the electromechanical behavior of single and multiwall nanotubes used in nano-electronic devices is presented. The finite element (FE) comput…
Quantum Transport and Current Distribution at Radio Frequency in Multiwall Carbon Nanotubes
2012
Multiwall carbon nanotubes represent a low-dimensional material that could serve as building blocks for future carbon-based nanoelectronics. The understanding of the electromagnetic performances at radio frequency of these materials for use in nanointerconnects is strictly related to the analysis of their transport properties as function of the working conditions. In this paper, we present an explicit expression of the conducting channels as function of diameter, temperature, doping, and supply voltage for both metallic and semiconducting carbon nanotubes. The proposed formula is based on the Dirac cone approximation of the conducting band energy of graphene nearby the Fermi points, combine…