Superior flexibility of super carbon nanotubes: Molecular dynamics simulations

Molecular dynamics simulations have been performed to study the mechanical properties and deformation mechanisms of the so-called super carbon tubes (SCTs), a recently developed network material made by conjoined single- or multiwalled carbon nanotubes. It is found that such SCTs exhibit some unusual mechanical properties distinctly different from individual carbon nanotubes. The rupture strain of SCTs reaches more than 30%, more than three times that of single-walled carbon nanotubes. This study suggests that SCTs might be used as advanced materials with extremely low mass density and high flexibility. (C) 2007 American Institute of Physics.