title: Fluid dynamic lateral slicing of high tensile strength carbon nanotubes.
abstract: Lateral slicing of micron length carbon nanotubes (CNTs) is effective on laser irradiation of the materials suspended within dynamic liquid thin films in a microfluidic vortex fluidic device (VFD). The method produces sliced CNTs with minimal defects in the absence of any chemical stabilizers, having broad length distributions centred at ca 190, 160 nm and 171 nm for single, double and multi walled CNTs respectively, as established using atomic force microscopy and supported by small angle neutron scattering solution data. Molecular dynamics simulations on a bent single walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT) with a radius of curvature of order 10 nm results in tearing across the tube upon heating, highlighting the role of shear forces which bend the tube forming strained bonds which are ruptured by the laser irradiation. CNT slicing occurs with the VFD operating in both the confined mode for a finite volume of liquid and continuous flow for scalability purposes.
authors.affiliation: Flinders Centre for NanoScale Science &Technology, School of Chemical &Physical Sciences, Flinders University, Adelaide SA 5001, Australia.
authors.forename: Kasturi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Vimalanathan
authors.affiliation: Flinders Centre for NanoScale Science &Technology, School of Chemical &Physical Sciences, Flinders University, Adelaide SA 5001, Australia.
authors.forename: Jason R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Gascooke
authors.affiliation: Nanochemistry Research Institute, Department of Physics and Astronomy, School of Science, Curtin University, Bentley Campus, Perth, WA 6102, Australia.
authors.forename: Irene
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Suarez-Martinez
authors.affiliation: Nanochemistry Research Institute, Department of Physics and Astronomy, School of Science, Curtin University, Bentley Campus, Perth, WA 6102, Australia.
authors.forename: Nigel A
authors.initials: NA
authors.lastname: Marks
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, University of Missouri, 601 South College Avenue, Columbia, Missouri 65211, United States.|James L. Winkle College of Pharmacy, University of Cincinnati, 3225 Eden Avenue, Cincinnati, Ohio, 42567, United States.
authors.forename: Harshita
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kumari
authors.affiliation: Bragg Institute, Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation, New Illawarra Road, Lucas Heights, 2234, NSW.
authors.forename: Christopher J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Garvey
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, University of Missouri, 601 South College Avenue, Columbia, Missouri 65211, United States.
authors.forename: Jerry L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Atwood
authors.affiliation: Flinders Centre for NanoScale Science &Technology, School of Chemical &Physical Sciences, Flinders University, Adelaide SA 5001, Australia.
authors.forename: Warren D
authors.initials: WD
authors.lastname: Lawrance
authors.affiliation: Flinders Centre for NanoScale Science &Technology, School of Chemical &Physical Sciences, Flinders University, Adelaide SA 5001, Australia.
authors.forename: Colin L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Raston