2006/07/03 by Paul Tangney, Marvin L. Cohen, Steven G. Louie · 1 citation
Materials Science · Physics and Astronomy · #Atomic physics #Carbon Nanotubes in Composites #Carbon nanotube #Coaxial #Condensed matter physics #Drag #Excited state #Force Microscopy Techniques and Applications #Group velocity #Materials science #Mechanical and Optical Resonators #Mechanics #Nanotechnology #Optics #Phonon #Physics #cond-mat.mtrl-sci #cond-mat.other #cond-mat.stat-mech
paper · pdf · doi:10.1103/physrevlett.97.195901
Submitted to Phys. Rev. Lett. ; Presented at APS March Meeting 2006 (Paul Tangney, Bull. A.P.S. 51, 2006)
arxiv created 2006/07/03 · openalex publication_date 2006/11/10 · arxiv updated 2009/12/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/05
Molecular dynamics simulations of coaxial carbon nanotubes in relative sliding motion reveal a striking enhancement of friction when phonons whose group velocity is close to the sliding velocity of the nanotubes are strongly excited. The effect is analogous to the dramatic increase in air drag experienced by aircraft flying close to the speed of sound but differs in that it can occur in multiple velocity ranges with varying magnitude, depending on the atomic level structures of the nanotubes. The phenomenon is a general one that may occur in other nanoscale mechanical systems.