Carbon nanotube oscillator operated by thermal expansion of encapsulated gases

We investigated a carbon nanotube (CNT) oscillator controlled by thermal gas expansion using classical molecular dynamics simulations. When the temperature rapidly increased, the force on the CNT oscillator induced by the thermal gas expansion rapidly increased and pushed out the CNT oscillator. As the CNT oscillator extruded from the outer nanotube, the suction force on the CNT oscillator increased by the excess van der Waals (vdW) energy. When the CNT oscillator reached the maximum extrusion point, the CNT oscillator was encapsulated into the outer nanotube by the suction force. Therefore, the CNT oscillator could be oscillated by both the gas expansion and the excess vdW interaction. As the temperature increased, the amplitude of the CNT oscillator increased. At high temperatures, the CNT oscillator escaped from the outer nanotube, because the force on the CNT oscillator due to the thermal gas expansion was higher than the suction force due to the excess vdW energy. By the appropriate temperature controls, such as the maximum temperature, the heating rate, and the cooling rate, the CNT oscillator could be operated.