Characterizing the Energy Storage in Unidirectionally Packed Single Walled Carbon Nanotube Bundles

An increased interest has arisen regarding the possibility of using carbon nanotubes (CNTs) as springs storing mechanical energy. In this study, a research has been held using a computational method so as to explore the feasibility of this concept as well as to find the ideal configuration which provides the best energy storage ability. For this reason, various armchair and zigzag single-walled CNTs (SWCNTs) are thoroughly examined. The proposed method uses three dimensional (3d) bar elements with two nodes of specific stiffness that simulate the interatomic interactions between carbon atoms. In addition, the influence of the non-bonded van der Waals (vdW) interatomic interactions between neighbor SWCNTs on mechanical performance has been investigated. A complete parametric study, concerning the type of the SWCNTs and their geometry, is performed in order to estimate the amount of the energy absorbed by SWCNT-springs. The numerical results concern the maximum strain energy and maximum strain energy density prior to buckling of a single SWCNT and bundles of SWCNTs arranged in a hexagonal pattern. The results of the present method are in good agreement with results found in the literature. The finding of the present study seems to encourage the future potential use of SWCNTs as mechanical energy storages and novel power macroscopic devices.