The response of carbon nanotube ensembles to fluid flow: Applications to mechanical property measurement and diagnostics

We demonstrate an experimental method to understand the mechanical response of carbon nanotube (CNT) ensembles to fluid flow through the measurement of the flexural rigidity EI, where E is the elastic modulus and I is the moment of inertia. A flexural rigidity (EI) of ∼7.5×10−16 N m2 was determined for the samples examined, by monitoring the transmitted light intensity for the CNTs subject to flow induced deflections. The robustness of the measurements was revealed through the digital response of CNTs to fluid flow and their use in gas flow diagnostics.

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