Physical property modification of nanotubes

A method of modifying a physical property of a carbon nanotube, said method comprising:

• subjecting the carbon nanotube having a hexagonal core lattice structure to stress and thermal conditions sufficient to disrupt the lattice structure and form a dipole of pentagon-heptagon and heptagon-pentagon dislocation cores therein, and wherein the dipole of dislocation cores propagate throughout the nanotube in a manner such that a domain of modified lattice structure is formed between the dipole of dislocation cores to alter a physical property of the nanotube.

A method of modifying a physical property of a nanotube, said method comprising:

• subjecting a nanotube having a defined lattice structure orientation to stress conditions sufficient to disrupt the lattice structure and form a dipole of dislocation cores therein, and wherein the dipole of dislocation cores split and propagate in the nanotube in a manner such that the dislocation cores are separated by at least one domain of modified lattice structure, and wherein the physical property of the nanotube is altered, wherein said nanotube has a defined lattice structure orientation characterized by a (10,10) chirality vector, and wherein the domain of modified lattice structure has a chirality vector of (10,9).

A method of modifying a physical property of a carbon nanotube, said method comprising:

• subjecting the carbon nanotube having a hexagonal core lattice structure to stress and thermal conditions sufficient to disrupt the lattice structure and form a dipole of pentagon-heptagon and heptagon-pentagon dislocation cores therein, and wherein the dipole of dislocation cores propagate throughout the nanotube in a manner such that a domain of modified lattice structure is formed between the dipole of dislocation cores to alter a physical property of the nanotube, wherein said subjecting step results in the nanotube elongating from about 3 to about 10 percent.