Electrostatically actuated oscillator of bundle and double-walled carbon nanotubes

Schematics of capacitively driven carbon nanotube (CNT) oscillators were presented and investigated by using classical molecular dynamics simulations. While the capacitive force acting on a CNT oscillator extruded it, the force exerted by the excess van der Waals energy sucked the CNT oscillator into the bundle or outer shell. The CNT oscillator could be oscillated by using both the Coulomb and the van der Waals interactions. The van der Waals force of the bundle-type CNT oscillator was less than the van der Waals force of the double-walled CNT oscillator. Molecular dynamics simulation results showed that double-walled CNT oscillators were better than bundle-type CNT oscillators in the aspects of both energy dissipation and stable operation.