Journal of Adhesion, Vol.84, No.5, 439-444, 2008
On the impossibility of separating nanotubes in a bundle by longitudinal tension
Nanotubes in a bundle tend to bunch as a consequence of van der Waals attraction and their extremely high surface to volume ratio. In this article we demonstrate that they cannot be separated by applying an arbitrary large longitudinal tension. Thus, cooperation between nanotubes in a bundle is guaranteed, even under large tension. Such a finding could have an important role in designing self-assembled macroscopic nanotube-based cables.