title: Shock-wave resistance of WS2 nanotubes.
abstract: The shock-wave resistance of WS(2) nanotubes has been studied and compared to that of carbon nanotubes. Detailed structural features of post-shock samples were investigated using HRTEM, XRD, and Raman spectroscopy. WS(2) nanotubes are capable of withstanding shear stress caused by shock waves of up to 21 GPa, although some nanotube tips and nanoparticles containing multiple structural defects in the bending regions are destroyed. Small WS(2) species, consisting of only a few layers, are extruded from the nanotubes. Well-crystallized tube bodies were found to exhibit significant stability under shock, indicating high tensile strength. XRD and Raman analyses have confirmed this structural stability. Under similar shock conditions, WS(2) tubes are more stable than carbon nanotubes, the latter being transformed into a diamond phase. WS(2) nanotubes containing small concentrations of defects possess significantly higher mechanical strength, and, as a consequence, hollow WS(2) nanoparticles are expected to act as excellent lubricants under much higher loading than was previously thought.
authors.affiliation: Fullerene Science Centre, School of Chemistry, Physics & Environmental Science, University of Sussex, Brighton BN1 9QJ, UK.
authors.forename: Yan Qiu
authors.initials: YQ
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.forename: Toshimori
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Sekine
authors.forename: Kieren S
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Brigatti
authors.forename: Steve
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Firth
authors.forename: Reshef
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Tenne
authors.forename: Rita
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Rosentsveig
authors.forename: Harold W
authors.initials: HW
authors.lastname: Kroto
authors.forename: David R M
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Walton