Stochastic strength of nanotubes: An appraisal of available data

This paper summarizes and discusses the limited statistically significant, currently available, experimental data for the tensile strength of individual nanotubes of any sort. Only three such data sets currently exist: two for multi-wall carbon nanotubes and one for multi-wall WS2 nanotubes. It is shown here that Weibull-Poisson statistics accurately fits all strength data sets and thus seems to apply at the nano-scale as well as it does at the micro- and macro-scales. The significance and trends of the Weibull shape and scale parameters, and their relation to the specific structural features of the different nanotubes, are discussed in each case. More recent fracture analyses are also discussed and, in that context, the role of defects in quasi-perfect structures in relation to the theoretical strength is examined. (c) 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.