Cantilevered single walled boron nitride nanotube based nanomechanical resonators of zigzag and armchair forms

Abstract

In this paper, the dynamic response analysis of single walled boron nitride nanotubes (SWBNNTs) has been done using a finite element method (FEM). To this end, different types of zigzag and armchair layups of SWBNNTs are considered with cantilever configuration to analyze the mass detection application, as a SWBNNT based nanomechanical resonator. Using three dimensional elastic beams and point masses, single walled boron nitride nanotubes are approximated as atomistic finite element models. Implementing the finite element simulation approach, the resonant frequency of cantilevered nanotubes obtained and observed the shifts in it mainly due to an additional nanoscale mass to the nanotube tip. The effect on resonant frequency shift due to dimensional variation in terms of length as well as diameter is explored by considering different aspect ratios of nanotubes. The effect of intermediate landing positions of added mass on resonant frequency shift is also analyzed by considering excitations of different modes of vibration. Also, the effect of chiralities compared for resonant frequency variations to check the effect on sensitivity due to different forms of SWBNNTs. The present approach is found to be effectual in terms of dealing different chiralities, boundary conditions and consideration of added mass to analyze the dynamic behavior of cantilevered SWBNNT based nanomechanical resonators. The simulation results are compared with the analytical results based on continuum mechanics and found in good agreement as one of the toolkits for systematic analysis approach for novel design of SWBNNT based nanomechanical resonators for wide range of applications.