Origin of structural defects in multiwall carbon nanotube

We investigate the walls of the defective multiwall carbon nanotube (MWCNT), and give possible mechanism for the formation of defective structure. A generalized model has been proposed for the MWCNT. which consists of (a) catalyst part, (b) embryo part and (c) full grown part. We claim that the weak embryo portion of the MWCNT, is structurally undeveloped. The stress due to pressure imbalance between inside and outside of the MWCNT during growth along with axial load at the embryo portion causes distortion, which is the source of bending and making the walls of the MWCNT off-concentric. At the later stage the stressed embryo retain the distorted structure and get transformed into fully gown defective CNT. Published by Elsevier B.V.