Defect-Induced Mechanical Mode Splitting in Carbon Nanotube Resonators

This work examines the impact of defects on the resonant response of single-wall carbon nanotube (CNT) resonators using classical molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. The work demonstrates that the presence of defects in CNTs leads to appreciable resonant mode splitting. A dimensionless parameter has been introduced to quantify this phenomenon. It is observed that increasing the degree of asymmetry in the system generally increases the magnitude of splitting. Given the centrality of single-peak Lorentzian frequency responses in the current device design paradigm, which is utilized in applications such as resonant mass sensing, the nonLorentzian response characteristics of imperfect devices could present both opportunities and challenges in the future design and development of resonant nanosystems. [DOI: 10.1115/1.4023057]