Uniform shell modeling of vertically aligned multi-walled carbon nanotube arrays

Abstract

Vertically aligned multi-walled carbon nanotube arrays (VA-MWCNTs) are novel carbon nanomaterials that have broader applications than individual carbon nanotubes (CNTs). This paper presents the uniform shell modeling of VA-MWCNTs which allow effectively design and characterize these complex materials. Multi-walled nanotubes in the arrays are approximated as equivalent single-walled CNTs and modeled with shell elements. The stiffness and Young's modulus obtained from the equivalent thickness method are comparable to those obtained from the modeling of actual multi-wall structures, but at much efficient computational efforts. VA-MWCNTs have also been designed at various architectures (square, FCC) and areal densities, and the resultant mechanical properties are analyzed.