Chirality Effects on Mechanical Properties of Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are carbon allotropes with unique characteristics. Structure of each nanotube is defined by a vector called chiral vector. In this paper، entering the nanotube length and two input values of m and n into a simple algorithm، the positions of carbon atoms are determined and the full geometry of nanotubes is depicted. Then، different kinds of nanotubes are simulated and their mechanical properties are determined using finite element method. Comparison of the results with previous results existing in the literature reveals good precision of this algorithm in simulating nanotubes geometry. The results show that CNTs have the most tensile modulus in chiral angles between 17-22 degree، which is about 1TPa.