ABSTRACT

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) represent one important group of carbon nanomaterials among many other nanostructured materials, including metallic, ceramic, polymeric, and nanocomposite materials. The effective thickness paradox is important for the understanding of the equivalent continuum models for a variety of atomic lattices not just CNTs. CNT classification has important implications for the understanding of their mechanical behavior during deformation. The tubular nature of carbon fibers has the physical origins associated with the formation mechanisms. CNTs and other nanostructures represent one group of the most common forms of nanomaterials. Nanostructures consist of atomic lattices or agglomerates of atoms or molecules and often have the smallest structural elements such as hexagonal carbon rings in the atomic CNT structure or unit lattice cells in crystalline materials. Graphene has an exceptionally high surface-to-volume ratio, which makes it very attractive for nanocomposites and many other applications of its surface properties and its high conductivity.