Lai, Kim Fung = 幼樑之振動與力學特性 / 黎劍鋒. / Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2008. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 99-102). / Abstracts in English and Chinese. / Lai, Kim Fung = You liang zhi zhen dong yu li xue te xing / Li, Jianfeng. / Chapter I --- Vibrations of Timoshenko Beams --- p.1 / Chapter 1 --- Introduction --- p.2 / Chapter 1.1 --- Overview --- p.2 / Chapter 1.2 --- Simple theory of static beam bending --- p.6 / Chapter 1.3 --- Foundation of problem --- p.7 / Chapter 1.4 --- Literature review --- p.12 / Chapter 1.4.1 --- Euler-Bernoulli Beam Theory (EBBT) --- p.12 / Chapter 1.4.2 --- Timoshenko Beam Theory (TBT) --- p.16 / Chapter 1.5 --- Preview of our results --- p.20 / Chapter 2 --- 3-D problem --- p.22 / Chapter 2.1 --- Elastic theory --- p.23 / Chapter 2.2 --- Boundary conditions --- p.24 / Chapter 2.3 --- Plane waves in uniform thin beams --- p.25 / Chapter 2.4 --- Solving order-by-order analytically --- p.26 / Chapter 2.5 --- Minimization approach --- p.36 / Chapter 3 --- 2-D problem --- p.50 / Chapter 3.1 --- Boundary conditions and effective moduli --- p.51 / Chapter 3.2 --- Expansion for thin beams --- p.54 / Chapter 3.3 --- Plane waves in uniform thin beam --- p.56 / Chapter 3.4 --- Boundary conditions --- p.57 / Chapter 3.5 --- Truncation --- p.58 / Chapter 3.6 --- Numerical solution --- p.58 / Chapter 3.7 --- Analytic results for soft mode --- p.60 / Chapter 3.8 --- EBBT and TBT for 2-D problem --- p.62 / Chapter 3.9 --- Analytic results for hard mode at q = 0 --- p.64 / Chapter 3.10 --- Higher-order corrections for hard mode --- p.66 / Chapter 4 --- Summary --- p.71 / Chapter II --- Vibrations of Single-Walled Carbon nanotubes --- p.73 / Chapter 5 --- Introduction --- p.74 / Chapter 5.1 --- General properties --- p.74 / Chapter 5.2 --- Graphene sheet --- p.76 / Chapter 5.3 --- Rolling up a graphene sheet --- p.78 / Chapter 5.4 --- Foundation of problem --- p.79 / Chapter 5.5 --- Literature review --- p.79 / Chapter 5.6 --- Preview of our results --- p.80 / Chapter 6 --- Structure and strain energy under zero stress --- p.81 / Chapter 6.1 --- Description of the structure --- p.81 / Chapter 6.2 --- Description of the strain energy --- p.83 / Chapter 6.3 --- Minimization of energy --- p.86 / Chapter 7 --- SWCNT under strain --- p.89 / Chapter 7.1 --- Subject to an axial strain --- p.89 / Chapter 7.2 --- Subject to a radial strain --- p.94 / Chapter 7.3 --- Subject to a torsional strain --- p.95 / Chapter 8 --- Summary --- p.98 / Bibliography --- p.99 / Chapter A --- "Expressing elastic moduli G, λ and M in terms of Y andv" --- p.103 / Chapter B --- Simplification of the functional E to a neat expression --- p.105 / Chapter C --- Expressing effective elastic moduli G' and M' in terms of Y' and v' --- p.106 / Chapter D --- Illustration of the lowest non-trivial truncation --- p.107 / Chapter E --- The proof of Self-adjointness of H(q) --- p.109 / Chapter F --- Proof of the identity KeVec= KeVel --- p.112

Thesis (M. S.)--Chemistry and Biochemistry, Georgia Institute of Technology, 2009. / Committee Chair: Lawrence Bottomley; Committee Member: Aldo Ferri; Committee Member: E. Kent Barefield; Committee Member: Levent Degertekin; Committee Member: Robert Whetten; Committee Member: Satish Kumar; Committee Member: Zhong Lin Wang.

In this work, structure/property relationships in polypropylene (PP) nanocomposites have been investigated for different nanofillers. Nanofillers of modified clay based on montmorillonite (MMT) and multi-wall carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) have been selected and incorporated to the PP matrix as either single nanofillers or hybrid nanofillers. Melt mixing via a twin screw extruder and further moulding by injection moulding have been used to prepare PP nanocomposites. Moreover, the dilution of MWNT masterbatch has been used to prepare PP/MWNT and PP/clay/MWNT nanocomposites. Three types of the PP nanocomposites have been obtained: PP/clay, PP/MWNT and PP/clay/MWNT nanocomposites. In all three types of the PP nanocomposites, α- and -PP crystals were observed in the wide angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD) patterns. Furthermore, the addition of nanofillers to the PP did not appear to affect the PP orientation. Slight PP orientation in the PP nanocomposites was shown in the two-dimensional X-ray diffraction (2D-XRD) patterns. Mixed clay layers were combined in the PP/clay and PP/clay/MWNT nanocomposites and investigated by WAXD as well as transmission electron microscopy (TEM). In addition, the aggregated and individual MWNTs were present in both the PP/MWNT and PP/clay/MWNT nanocomposites TEM images. A rough fracture surface with cracks was revealed from the scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images of the three types of PP nanocomposites. Polarized optical microscopy (POM) micrographs were taken at different temperatures during cooling in a hot stage and revealed the limitation of PP spherulite growth upon adding the nanofillers to the PP. The incorporation of nanofillers was found not to affect the glass transition temperature (Tg) of PP which investigated by dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA). However, the increase of both the peak melting temperature (Tm) and the peak crystallization temperature (Tc) of PP with adding the nanofillers was shown by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) thermograms. In addition, the nanofillers also have been shown to act as nucleating agents. The thermal stability of PP in a nitrogen atmosphere was enhanced by the nanofillers when examined by thermogravimatric analysis (TGA). DMA and tensile testing were performed and showed that the nanofillers act as reinforcement for the PP. The distribution, orientation and deformation of MWNTs in the PP/MWNT and PP/clay/MWNT nanocomposites have been followed by Raman spectroscopy. Significant shifts of the Raman G'-band from the MWNTs was obtained during deformation of the MWNT nanocomposites and the hybrid clay/MWNT nanocomposites as the stress transfer from the PP matrix to the MWNTs has occurred. A correlation between calculated modulus from deformation and measured modulus from DMA and tensile testing has been found for PP/MWNT and PP/clay/MWNT nanocomposites. Finally, the PP nanocomposites have been considered for use in packaging applications.

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have captured a great deal of attention worldwide since their discovery in 1991. CNTs are considered to be the stiffest and strongest material due to their perfect atomic arrangement and intrinsic strong in-plane sp 2—sp 2 covalent bonds between carbon atoms. In addition to mechanical properties, CNTs have also shown exceptional chemical, electrical and thermal properties. All these aspects make CNTs promising candidates in the development of novel multi-functional nanocomposites. Utilizing CNTs as fillers to develop advanced nanocomposites still remains a challenge, due to the lack of fundamental understanding of both material processing at the nanometer scale and the resultant material properties. In this work, a new model was developed to investigate the amount of control specific parameters have on the mechanical properties of CNT composites. The new theory can be used to guide the development of advanced composites using carbon nanotubes, as well as other nano-fibers, with any matrices (ceramic, metal, or polymer). Our study has shown that the varying effect based on changes in CNT dimensions and concentration fit the model predictions very well. Metallic CNT composites using both single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNT) and multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWNT), have been developed through a novel electrochemical co-deposition process. Copper and nickel matrix composites were developed by using pulse-reverse electrochemical co-deposition. Uniaxial tensile test results showed that a more than 300% increase in strength compared to that of the pure metal had been achieved. For example, the ultimate tensile strength of Ni/CNTs composites reached as high as about 2GPa. These are best experimental results ever reported within this field. The mechanical results are mainly attributed iv to the good interfacial bonding between the CNTs and the metal matrices and good dispersion of carbon nanotubes within the matrices. Experimental results have also shown that the strength is inversely dependent on the diameter of carbon nanotubes. In addition to the mechanical strength, carbon nanotube reinforced metallic composites are excellent multifunctional materials in terms of electrical and thermal conduction. The electrical resistivity of carbon nanotube/copper composites produces electrical resistivity of about 1.0~1.2 x10-6 ohm-cm, which is about 40% less than the pure copper. The reduced electrical resistivity is also attributed to the good interfacial bonding between carbon nanotubes and metal matrices, realized by the electrochemical co-deposition.

A first principles atomistic calculation and analysis is used to conduct studies on the mechanical and electron transport properties of selected stretched single-wall carbon nanotube segments. The atomic forces, electron densities, current, voltage and total energies are calculated for these carbon nanotube segments using Atomistix's Virtual NanoLab (VNL) and ToolKit (ATK), a software package for electronic structure calculations and molecular dynamics simulations of different molecular systems. Plots of electronic energy spectra, densities of states, force versus length, and current-voltage data, are presented as output results. The mechanical properties of these carbon nanotube segments under a maximum strain of 1% are studied.A speculative atomistic-level stress-strain approach is tried for calculating Young's modulus for a single-wall carbon nanotube segment. The computed total energies are also used to extract the Young's modulus value. Based on the results, the approach is found to work and we were able to calculate the mechanical parameters for single-wall carbon nanotube segments. The electrical conductance is obtained from the current-voltage curves for strained single-wall metallic carbon nanotube segments placed between copper contacts. / Department of Physics and Astronomy

Carbon nanotubes are molecular-scale tubes of graphitic carbon that possess many unique properties. They have high tensile strength and elastic modulus, are thermally and electrically conductive, and can be structurally modified using well established carbon chemistries. There is global interest in taking advantage of their unique combination of properties and using these interesting materials as components in nanoscale devices and composite materials. The goal of this research was the correlation of the mechanical properties of coiled carbon nanotubes with their chemical structure. Individual nanocoils, grown by chemical vapor deposition, were attached to scanning probe tip using the arc discharge method. Using a scanning probe microscope the nanocoils are repeatedly brought into and out of contact with a chemically-modified substrate. Precise control over the length (or area) of contact with the substrate is achievable through simultaneous monitoring the cantilever deflection resonance, and correlating these with scanner movement. The mechanical response of nanocoils depended upon the extent of their compression. Nonlinear response of the nanocoil was observed consistent with compression, buckling, and slip-stick motion of the nanocoil. The chemical structure of the nanocoil and its orientation on the tip was determined using scanning and transmission electron microscopy. The mechanical stiffness of eighteen different nanocoils was determined in three ways. In the first, the spring constant of each nanocoil was computed from the slope of the linear response region of the force-distance curve. The assumptions upon which this calculation is based are: 1) under compression, the cantilever-nanocoil system can be modeled as two-springs in series, and 2) the nanocoil behaves as an ideal spring as the load from the cantilever is applied. Nanocoil spring constants determined in this fashion ranged from 6.5x10-3 to 5.16 TPa for the CCNTs understudy. In the second, the spring constant of the nanocoil was computed from measuring the critical force required to buckle the nanocoil. The critical force method measured the force at the point where the nanocoil-cantilever system diverges from a linear region in the force curve. Nanocoil spring constants determined in this fashion ranged from 1.3x10-5 to 10.4 TPa for the CCNTs understudy. In the third, the spring constant of each nanocoil was computed from the thermal resonance of the cantilever-nanocoil system. Prior to contact of the nanocoil with the substrate, the effective spring constant of the system is essentially that of the cantilever. At the point of contact and prior to buckling or slip-stick motion, the effective spring constant of the system is modeled as two springs in parallel. Nanocoil spring constants determined in this fashion ranged from 2.7x10-3 to 0.03 TPa for the CCNTs understudy. Using the thermal resonance of the cantilever system a trend was observed relating nanocoil structure to the calculated modulus. Hollow, tube-like nanostructures had a higher measured modulus than solid or fibrous structures by several orders of magnitude. One can conclude that the structure of carbon nanocoils can be determined from using their mechanical properties. This correlation should significantly contribute to the knowledge of the scientific and engineering community. It will enable the integration of carbon nanocoils in microelectromechanical (MEMS) or nanoelectromechanical systems (NEMS) as resonators, vibration dampers, or any other application in which springs are used within complex devices.

The objective of this PhD thesis was the study of friction in carbon nanotubes by analytical methods and molecular dynamics simulations. The goal of this research was to characterize the properties of friction in nanotubes and from a more general point of view the understanding of the microscopic origin of friction. Indeed, the relative simplicity of the system allows us to interpret more easily the physical phenomenon observed than in larger systems. In order to achieve this goal, non-equilibrium statistical mechanics permitted first to develop models based on Langevin equations describing the dynamics of rotation and translation in double walled nanotubes. The molecular dynamics simulations then permitted to validate these analytical models, and thus to study general properties of friction such as the dependence on area of contact, temperature and the geometry of the nanotubes.<p><p>The results obtained shows that the friction increases linearly with the sliding velocity or the angular velocity until very high values beyond that non-linearities appear enhancing dissipation. In the linear regime, it is shown that the proportionality factor between the dynamic friction force and the velocity is given by the time integral of the autocorrelation function of the restoring force for the sliding friction and of the torque for the rotational friction. Furthermore, a novel resonant friction phenomenon increasing significantly dissipation was observed for the sliding motion in certain types of nanotubes. The effect arises at sliding velocities corresponding to certain vibrational modes of the nanotubes. When the dynamics is described by the linear friction in velocity, the empirical law stating that friction is proportional to the area of contact is very well verified thanks to the molecular dynamics simulations. On the other hand, friction increases with temperature. The fact that friction increases as well with the area of contact as the temperature can be easily interpreted. Indeed, if the temperature is large enough so that the electronic effects can be negligible, dissipation is only due to the phonons. Indeed, it is the phonons who give the sliding or rotation energy to the other degrees of freedom until thermodynamic equilibrium is achieved. Thus, if the temperature increases, the coupling between the phonons and the rotational or translational motions increases, as well as friction. In the same manner, when the area of contact increases, the number of available phonons to transport energy increases, explaining thus the increase of the friction force.<p> / Doctorat en sciences, Spécialisation physique / info:eu-repo/semantics/nonPublished

Next generation polymer composites that utilize the high electrical conductivity and tensile strength of carbon nanotubes are of interest. To effectively disperse carbon nanotubes into polymers, a more fundamental understanding of the polymer/nanotube interface is needed. This requires the development of new analytical methods and techniques for measuring the adhesion between a single molecule and the sidewalls of carbon nanotubes. Atomic Force Microscopy is an integral tool in the characterization of materials on the nanoscale. The objectives of this research were to: 1) characterize the binding force between single molecules and the backbone of a single walled carbon nanotube (SWNT), and 2) measure and interpret the mechanical response of carbon-based nano-objects to compressive loads using an atomic force microscope. To identify chemical moieties that bind strongly to the sidewall of the nanotubes, two experimental approaches have been explored. In the first, force volume images of SWNT paper were obtained using gold-coated AFM tips functionalized with terminally substituted alkanethiols and para-substituted arylthiols. Analysis of these images enabled quantification of the adhesive interactions between the functionalized tip and the SWNT surface. The resultant adhesive forces were shown to be dependent upon surface topography, tip shape, and the terminal group on the alkanethiol. The mechanical response of several single- and multi-walled carbon nanotubes under compressive load was examined with an AFM. When the scanner, onto which the substrate has been mounted, was extended and retracted in a cyclic fashion, cantilever deflection, oscillation amplitude and resonant frequency were simultaneously monitored. By time-correlating cantilever resonance spectra, deflection and scanner motion, precise control over the length of nanotube in contact with the substrate, analogous to fly-fishing was achieved. This multi-parameter force spectroscopy method is applicable for testing the mechanical and interfacial properties of a wide range of nanoscale objects. This research has led to a clearer understanding of the chemistry at the nanotube/polymer interface, as well as the mechanical response of nanoscale materials. A new force spectroscopic tool, multi-parameter force spectroscopy, should be extremely helpful in characterizing the mechanical response of a myriad of nanoscale objects and enable nanoscale devices to become a reality.