The mechanical response of turbostratic carbon nanotubes filled with Ga-doped ZnS: II. Slenderness ratio and crystalline filling effects

Using a sample holder with an integrated force sensor, a collection of carbon nanotubes filled with Ga-doped ZnS, and spanning a broad window of lengths and diameters, has been mechanically studied inside a transmission electron microscope. The successful evaluation of the filled nanostructures was seen to depend on their slenderness ratio. Upon controlled removal of the encapsulated sulfide, the system considerably changed its response to uniaxial compressive stress. This report follows part 1 of the study which was instrument-focused and laid the ground to achieve consistent results with a novel type of nanomechanics setup for one-dimensional nanostructures (Costa et al 2009 Nanotechnology 40 405706).