Energy dissipation mechanisms in carbon nanotube oscillators

• Main Authors: Zhao, Yang, Ma, Chi Chiu, Chen, Guan Hua, Jiang, Qing
• Other Authors: School of Materials Science & Engineering
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: 2011
• Subjects: DRNTU::Science::Physics::Atomic physics::Solid state physics
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/10356/92238; http://hdl.handle.net/10220/6732
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

Energy transfer from the translational degrees of freedom to phonon modes is studied for isolated systems of two coaxial carbon nanotubes, which may serve as a nearly frictionless nano-oscillator. It is found that for oscillators with short nanotubes (less than 30 Å) a rocking motion, occurring when the inner tube is pulled about 1/3 out of the outer tube, is responsible for significant phonon energy acquisitions. For oscillators with long nanotubes translational energies are mainly dissipated via a wavy deformation in the outer tube undergoing radial vibrations. Frictional forces between 10^-17 and 10^-14 N per atom are found for various dissipative mechanisms.