AVS 46th International Symposium
    Topical Conference on Emerging Opportunities and Issues in Nanotubes and Nanoelectronics Thursday Sessions
       Session NT+NS+EM+MS-ThA

Paper NT+NS+EM+MS-ThA5
Nanoindentation and Nanotribology with Carbon Nanotubes

Thursday, October 28, 1999, 3:20 pm, Room 6C

Session: Nanotubes: Functionalization and Metrology
Presenter: S.B. Sinnott, University of Kentucky
Authors: B. Ni, University of Kentucky
A. Garg, University of Kentucky
S.B. Sinnott, University of Kentucky
Correspondent: Click to Email
The mechanisms by which carbon nanotubule (CNT) proximal probe tips deform during the nanometer-scale indentation and scratching of surfaces are explored using classical molecular dynamics simulations. The forces acting on the atoms in the simulations are calculated using a many-body, reactive bond-order potential for hydrocarbons. The results show that single-walled and multiwalled CNT tips indented against hydrogen-terminated diamond and graphene surfaces buckle and slip to relieve the applied stress. However, in the case of reactive surfaces, tip-surface adhesion occurs on contact that ultimately destroys the tubule. Furthermore, while shell-shell interactions have little effect on the deformation mechanisms, the multiwalled tubule is stiffer than comparably sized single-walled tubules. Finally, the way in which the deformation of these tubules changes during scratching of diamond and graphene surfaces will be discussed and the results compared to available experimental data. @FootnoteText@ Supported by NASA Ames Research Center (NAG 2-1121) and NSF MRSEC (DMR-9809686).