Showing papers by "Andras Kis published in 2004"

Reinforcement of single-walled carbon nanotube bundles by intertube bridging

Abstract: During their production, single-walled carbon nanotubes form bundles. Owing to the weak van der Waals interaction that holds them together in the bundle, the tubes can easily slide on each other, resulting in a shear modulus comparable to that of graphite. This low shear modulus is also a major obstacle in the fabrication of macroscopic fibres composed of carbon nanotubes. Here, we have introduced stable links between neighbouring carbon nanotubes within bundles, using moderate electron-beam irradiation inside a transmission electron microscope. Concurrent measurements of the mechanical properties using an atomic force microscope show a 30-fold increase of the bending modulus, due to the formation of stable crosslinks that effectively eliminate sliding between the nanotubes. Crosslinks were modelled using first-principles calculations, showing that interstitial carbon atoms formed during irradiation in addition to carboxyl groups, can independently lead to bridge formation between neighbouring nanotubes.

Mechanical Properties of Microtubules Explored Using the Finite Elements Method

Abstract: Reference EPFL-ARTICLE-150102doi:10.1002/cphc.200300799View record in Web of Science Record created on 2010-07-21, modified on 2016-08-08