Negative Friction and Reversible Energy Exchange Between Orderly Motion and Phonons in Carbon Nanotube Oscillator

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Energy exchanges between orderly intertube axial motion and vibrational modes are studied for isolated systems of two coaxial carbon nanotubes at temperatures ranging from 300 K to 500 K. It is found that the excess intertube van der Waals energy, depleted from the intertube axial motion, is primarily stored in low-frequency mechanical modes of the oscillator for an extended period of time, and furthermore, such an energy exchange may be reversible. A new nanoscale tribological phenomenon of negative friction is reported for the first time in concentric cylindrical carbon nanotube oscillators.