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arXiv · 0912.1894

Capillary force-induced structural instability in liquid infiltrated elastic circular tubes

Y. Yang·Y. F. Gao·D. Y. Sun·M. Asta·J. J. Hoyt
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Abstract

The capillary-induced structural instability of an elastic circular tube partially filled by a liquid is studied by combining theoretical analysis and molecular dynamics simulations. The analysis shows that, associated with the instability, there is a well-defined length scale (elasto-capillary length), which exhibits a scaling relationship with the characteristic length of the tube, regardless of the interaction details. We validate this scaling relationship for a carbon nanotube partially filled by liquid iron. The capillary-induced structural transformation could have potential applications for nano-devices.

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Y. Yang, Y. F. Gao, D. Y. Sun, M. Asta, J. J. Hoyt. 2009-12-10. Capillary force-induced structural instability in liquid infiltrated elastic circular tubes. https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevb.81.241407

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