title: Universal response of single-wall carbon nanotubes to radial compression.
abstract: The mechanical response of single-wall carbon nanotubes to radial compression is investigated via atomic force microscopy (AFM). We find that the force F applied by an AFM tip (with radius R) onto a nanotube (with diameter d), rescaled through the quantity Fd;{3/2}(2R);{-1/2}, falls into a universal curve as a function of the compressive strain. Such universality is reproduced analytically in a model where the graphene bending modulus is the only fitting parameter. The application of this model to the radial Young's modulus E_{r} leads to a further universal-type behavior which explains the large variations of nanotube E_{r} reported in the literature.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Física, ICEX, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, CP 702, 30123-970, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil.
authors.forename: A P M
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Barboza
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Chacham
authors.forename: B R A
authors.initials: BR
authors.lastname: Neves