Molecular dynamics simulations of an inertia sensor with carbon nanotube oscillators.

We investigated a nanoscale inertia sensor based on telescoping carbon nanotubes (CNTs) using classical molecular dynamics simulations. The positions of the telescoping CNTs are controlled by the centrifugal forces exerted by the rotation platform and thus position shifts are determined by the capacitance between CNTs and the electrode, and the operating frequency of the CNT oscillator. This measurement system, tracking oscillations of the CNT oscillator, can be used as the sensor for numerous types of devices, such as motion detectors, accelerometers, and acoustic sensors.

The frequency of cantilevered double-wall carbon nanotube resonators as a function of outer wall length.

Analysis of vibrational characteristics of cantilevered double-walled carbon nanotube (DWCNT) resonators is carried out based on classical molecular dynamics simulation. Vibrational frequencies of DWCNTs are less than those of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) with the same length and the same diameter because of van der Waals intertube interaction. For DWCNTs with short outer walls, the resonance frequency initially increases with increasing outer nanotube length and then decreases after a peak, and thus the result can be modeled by a Gaussian distribution.