title: Kinetic theory of symmetry-dependent strength in carbon nanotubes.
abstract: Carbon nanotubes yield to mechanical force by a primary dislocation dipole whose formation energy describes the thermodynamic stability of the tubule. However, the real-time strength is determined by the rate of defect formation, defined in turn by the activation barrier for the bond flip. First extensive computations of the kinetic barriers for a variety of strain-lattice orientations lead to predictions of the yield strength. Its value depends on nanotube chiral symmetry, in a way very different from the thermodynamic assessment.
authors.affiliation: Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science, Rice University, Houston, Texas 77005, USA.
authors.forename: Georgii G
authors.initials: GG
authors.lastname: Samsonidze
authors.forename: Guram G
authors.initials: GG
authors.lastname: Samsonidze
authors.forename: Boris I
authors.initials: BI
authors.lastname: Yakobson