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Updated: Jun 5, 2026

Precision Milling of Carbon Nanotube Forests Using Low Pressure Scanning Electron Microscopy
Published on: February 5, 2017
Elastic response of carbon nanotube forests to aerodynamic stresses
Ilenia Battiato1, Prabhakar R Bandaru, Daniel M Tartakovsky
1University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California 92093, USA.
Abstract:
The ability to determine static and (hydro)dynamic properties of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) is crucial for many applications. While their static properties (e.g., solubility and wettability) are fairly well understood, their mechanical responses (e.g., deflection under shear) to ambient fluid flow are to a large extent unknown. We analyze the elastic response of single-walled CNT forests, attached to the bottom wall of a channel, to the aerodynamic loading exerted by both laminar and turbulent flows. Our analysis yields analytical expressions for velocity distributions, the drag coefficient, and bending profiles of individual CNTs. This enables us to determine flexural rigidity of CNTs in wind-tunnel experiments. The model predictions agree with laboratory experiments for a large range of channel velocities.
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