Brittle Ductile Transition in Carbon Nanotube Bundles

摘要

The superior strength and stiffness of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) make them attractive for many structural applications. While the strength and stiffness of CNTs are extremely high, to date, fibers of aligned CNTs have been found to be far weaker than the constituent CNTs. The intermolecular interactions between the CNTs in the fibers are governed by weak van der Waals forces resulting in slippage between CNTs that occurs at tensions well below the breaking strength of the CNTs. Both theoretical and experimental studies show that introducing chemical bonds between the CNTs increases load transfer and prevents the CNTs from slipping.