Carbon nanotubes are believed to be the ultimate low-density high-modulus fibers, which makes their characterization at nanometer scale vital for applications. By using an atomic force microscope and a special substrate, the elastic and shear moduli of individual single-walled nanotube (SWNT) ropes were measured to be of the order of 1 TPa and 1 GPa, respectively. In contrast to multiwalled nanotubes, an unexpectedly low intertube shear stiffness dominated the flexural behavior of the SWNT ropes. This suggests that intertube cohesion should be improved for applications of SWNT ropes in high-performance composite materials.

• Received 17 June 1998

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.82.944