Though when we first designed this and showed its opeartion through computer simulations, we were not sure if anyone can actually attach molecules to the side of a nanotube or how difficult a job it would be. But recently, research groups have succeeded in attaching atoms and molecules to nanotubes. This is promising. We believe then a gear of this type can actually be made in the lab. To answer these, we have done computer simulations.
Simulations also show that nanotubes under extreme deformation remain elastic to a large extent.
In the above scenerios, one is then concerned with the interaction between the carbon nanotube tip and a surface. The videoclips show real-time dynamics of interaction between carbon nanotube tips and silicon and diamond surfaces. Computer simulations show that in the first regime the nanotube tip is able to selectively extract several silicon atoms off the surface of silicon, and in the second regime it is able to penetrate the silicon surface without much hindrance. But with diamond, the harder diamond surface destroys the nanotube.