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Updated: Jul 18, 2026

Dry Oxidation and Vacuum Annealing Treatments for Tuning the Wetting Properties of Carbon Nanotube Arrays
Published on: April 15, 2013
Giant wave-drag enhancement of friction in sliding carbon nanotubes
Paul Tangney1, Marvin L Cohen, Steven G Louie
1Molecular Foundry, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA.
Abstract:
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.
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