Single-walled carbon nanotubes as ultrahigh frequency nanomechanical resonators

Abstract

The high stiffness and strength, low density, and large aspect ratio of single-walled carbon nanotubes make them good candidates as nanoresonators. Employing an atomistic modeling technique, molecular structural mechanics, this work predicts that the fundamental frequencies of cantilevered or bridged single-walled carbon nanotubes as nanomechanical resonators could reach the level of 10 GHz--1.5 THz. The effects of tube diameter, length and end constraints on the fundamental frequency have been discerned.