Strength of nanotubes, filaments and nanowires from sonication-induced scission

TL;DR

This paper presents a model for predicting the breakage of nanostructures like nanotubes and fibrils during sonication, linking their strength and dimensions to cavitation effects, and validates it with experimental data.

Contribution

A simple predictive model for cavitation-induced scission of nanostructures, connecting their physical properties to sonication outcomes.

Findings

Model accurately predicts experimental breakage lengths

Breakage depends on tensile strength, diameter, and cavitation parameters

Sonication can be used to probe nanostructure strength

Abstract

We propose a simple model to describe the cavitation-induced breakage of mesoscale filaments during their sonication in solution. The model predicts a limiting length below which scission no longer occurs. This characteristic length is a function of the tensile strength and diameter of the filament, as well as the solvent viscosity and cavitation parameters. We show that the model predicts accurately experimental results for materials ranging from carbon nanotubes to protein fibrils, and discuss the use of sonication-induced breakage as a probe for the strength of nanostructures.