Identification and quantification of the dissipative mechanisms involved in the radial permanent deformation of carbon nanotubes

Recent advances in atomic force microscopy (AFM) are used here to determine, decouple and quantify the dissipative processes involved in the interaction between a silicon tip and a carbon nanotube (CNT). The energy dissipated per atom due to hysteretic contact processes on the CNT remains constant with increasing cantilever stored energy. The energy dissipated due to viscoelasticity, however, increases in the order of several eVnm ² per nm of free amplitude until the CNT eventually laterally deforms. This trend is general in amplitude modulation AFM and could be used to determine the nature and effects of dissipation for other relevant nanostructures.