  We use elastomeric polydimethylsiloxane substrates to strain single-walled
carbon nanotubes and modulate their electronic properties, with the aim of
developing flexible materials that can sense local strain. We demonstrate
micron-scale nanotube devices that can be cycled repeatedly through strains as
high as 20% while providing reproducible local strain transduction by via the
device resistance. We also compress individual nanotubes, and find they undergo
an undulatory distortion with a characteristic spatial period of 100-200 nm.
The observed period can be understood by the mechanical properties of nanotubes
and the substrate in conjunction with continuum elasticity theory. These could
potentially be used to create superlattices within individual nanotubes,
enabling novel devices and applications.
