Phys. Rev. Lett. 97, 075501 (2006) 

We report that kink motion is a universal plastic deformation mode in all carbon nanotubes when being tensile loaded at high temperatures. The kink motion, observed inside a high-resolution transmission electron microscope, is reminiscent of dislocation motion in crystalline materials: namely, it dissociates and multiplies. The kinks are nucleated from vacancy creation and aggregation, and propagate in either a longitudinal or a spiral path along the nanotube walls. The kink motion is related to dislocation glide and climb influenced by external stress and high temperatures in carbon nanotubes.

News

http://www.nature.com/nnano/reshigh/2006/0806/full/nnano.2006.42.html

http://www.physics.bc.edu/Deptsite/news/kink.shtml