Surface effects on buckling of nanotubes under uniaxial compression

Physical and mechanical properties of nanotubes are strongly affected by surface effects. In this letter, a continuum theory for describing the buckling of nanotubes was proposed. Based on Euler buckling model, uniaxial compression tests have been utilized to measure the mechanical properties of nanotubes. A nanotube with uniaxial compression could be similar to nanowires. On the other hand, with increasing the surface-to-bulk ratio at nanoscale, surface effects become prominent and have to be taken into consideration. The surface elasticity, surface stress and the hollow tubular structure are accounted for analysing the critical force of axial buckling of nanotubes. The current theory gave good agreement with molecular mechanics simulation. The present study in this letter is envisaged to provide useful insights for the design and application of nanotube-based devices.