Speaker:

James Hill 
School of Mathematics and Applied Statistics,
University of Wollongong

Title:

Geometry and mechanics of carbon nanotubes and gigahertz nano-oscillators

Abstract:

Fullerenes and carbon nanotubes are of considerable interest due to
their unique properties, such as low weight, high strength,
flexibility, high thermal conductivity and chemical stability and they
have many potential applications in nano-devices. In this talk we
present some recent new results on the geometric structure of carbon
nanotubes and related nanostructures. One concept that has attracted
much attention is the creation of nano-oscillators, to produce
frequencies in the gigahertz range, for applications such as
ultra-fast optical filters and nano-antennae. The sliding of an inner
shell inside an outer shell of a multi-walled carbon nanotube can
generate oscillatory frequencies up to several gigahertz, and the
shorter the inner tube the higher the frequency. A C60-nanotube
oscillator generates high frequencies by oscillating a C60 fullerene
inside a single-walled carbon nanotube. Here we discuss the underlying
mechanisms of nano-oscillators and some recent results using the
Lennard-Jones potential together with the continuum approach to
mathematically model three different types of nano-oscillators
including double-walled carbon nanotube, C60-nanotube and
C60-nanotorus oscillators.