Adhesive Behavior of Single Carbon Nanotubes

Abstract

We examined the adhesion of a carbon nanotube (CNT) tip using a manipulation technique with a transmission electron microscope. In addition, we estimated the maximum normal adhesion possibility of a CNT-based gecko tape. The adhesive behavior of a single isolated CNT to Au solid surfaces has high normal strength (6.84 nN), which has a linear relation to the cross section of a CNT, indicating the mechanism: van der Waals force was inferred from the contact of two flat surfaces. Adhesion measurements conducted on several surface materials verify that the surface chemistry affects adhesive properties of CNT tips.