Abstract
Carbon nanotubes subject to large deformations reversibly switch into different morphological patterns. Each shape change corresponds to an abrupt release of energy and a singularity in the stress-strain curve. These transformations, simulated using a realistic many-body potential, are explained by a continuum shell model. With properly chosen parameters, the model provides a remarkably accurate “roadmap” of nanotube behavior beyond Hooke's law.
- Received 22 September 1995
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.76.2511
©1996 American Physical Society