Environmental Engineering Reference
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FIGURE 3.8
Variation of water viscosity with CNT diameter.
3.4 THE RELEASE OF ENERGY DUE TO THE COLLAPSE OF THE
NANOTUBE
Scientists theoretically predicted the existence of a “domino effect” in single-
walled carbon nanotube.
Squashing can occur at one end by two rigid movements of narrow graphene
planes (about 0.8 nm in width and 8.5 nm in length). This can rapidly (at a rate ex-
ceeding 1 km/s) release its stored energy by collapsing along its length like a row
of dominoes. The effect resembles a tube of toothpaste squeezing itself
(Fig. 3.9).
The structure of a single-walled carbon nanotube has two possible stable
states: circular or collapsed. Scientists realized that for nanotubes wider than 3.5
nanometers, the circular state stores more potential energy than the collapsed state
as a result of van der Waal's forces. He performed molecular dynamics simula-
tions to find out what would happen if one end of a nanotube was rapidly col-
lapsed by clamping it between two graphene bars.
This phenomenon occurs with the release of energy, and thus allows for the
first time to talk about carbon nanotubes as energy sources. This effect can also be
used as an accelerator of molecules.
The tube collapses at the same time not over its entire length, and sequentially,
one after the other carbon ring, starting from the end, which is tightened (Fig. 3.9).
It happens just like a domino collapses, arranged in a row (this is known as the
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