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Buckling and Twisting Nanotubes
High-intensity, atomic-level sonic boomlets cause nanotubes to buckle and twist at "compression-concentration zones."
Researchers at Brown University and in Korea have described the dynamics behind
cutting single-walled carbon nanotubes, cylindrical structures just 1/50,000th the width
of a human hair. The tubes are compressed by potent sonic booms, causing them to
buckle at certain points at helical, 90-degree angles. The finding could lead to better quality
nanotubes for potential use in automotive, electronics, optics and other fields. The results of this research appeared in the Proceedings of the Royal Society A. The research was supported in part by a grant from the National Science Foundation.
To learn more about this research, see the Brown University press release "How do you cut a nanotube? Lots of compression." (Date of Image: unknown)
Credit: Kim Lab, Brown University
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